Pindi Choley – Dark and Spicy Chickpeas with Fragrant Spices
To celebrate Spring Break I offer you Pindi Choley. It is one of the many classic variations of chickpeas found across India. This is a recipe that is made with loads of different spices in a happy harmony. So it feels festive to me.
Their spring break is a mixed bag for me. I almost never take it off. I end up feeling a little deprived. Not that a lot happens, except when we do go for vacation. In which case, I do take spring break off.
The Pindi Choley Story and Inspiration
I am a little sorry about not spending time with the young ones on spring break. Not as much as I would like anyway. So I needed a recharge this evening. Dabbling with something new in the kitchen usually assure me a pick me up. These dark and spicy chickpeas are a little more complex than say my slow cooker channa masala.
In our house this version is sort of a party chickpea version.
I have been working on this recipe for a couple of weeks. My friend asked me for a tested and tried version. I have made this twice to ensure that it is in fact, tested and tried.
A Little More about Pindi Choley
There are many styles of cooking chickpeas. Broadly speaking the north Indian styles fall into two broad categories, a soft gravy-based variety and this drier variation usually enjoyed with flatbread. Quiet often the puffy deep fried sourdough bread called bhatura or soft leavened baked breads called kulcha. I did not quite have the interest to make either, but I did make the basic chapatis and we were all happy.
Pindi Choley originated in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi, They gravy is made with lots of spices but no onion, garlic and tomatoes. It is a version that works well for my in-laws. Garnish and serve this dish with sliced raw onions for a contrast of flavors.
The Concept of Layered Flavors
The chickpeas are first cooked with some basic spices, and then finished with a roasted spice blend. Finally they are finished with finished off with toasted ginger and crushed dried pomegranate seeds. As of the dark color, this comes from a tea bag, which was rather difficult for me to find today. I am a loose-leaf tea drinker and the husband usually drinks what I make or tends to stick to green tea. But, ultimately I did find something stuck in a corner waiting to be used.
All good, so here is the recipe and one of these days you will see my other variation.
A recipe for dark spice crusted chickpeas, in the punjabi style of cooking.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup chana (dried chickpeas) (soaked overnight
- 2 cups of water
- 1 black teabag (this is for color)
- Salt to taste
- 2 black cardamoms
- 2 to 3 cloves
- 2 green cardamoms
- 1 large (about 2 inch stick) cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- 1 medium sized red onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon amchur (dried mango powder) (can be substituted with juice of a lime
- 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1 tablespoon very finely diced ginger (you can add in julienned pieces if desired)
- 1 teaspoon dried pomegranate seeds (anardana)
Instructions
- Place the chickpeas in the pressure cooker, with the water, tea bag, salt, cinnamon, cloves and black and green cardamoms and cook for 35 to 40 minutes. The key to this dish is soft and well cooked chickpeas.
- Cool and remove the lid, strain the chickpeas and reserve the water after discarding the tea bag and whole spices.
- Heat the oil and add the cumin seeds and with the seeds begin to sizzle add in the onion and ginger.
- Cook the onion until the onion is soft and turning gently golden, add in the chickpeas and stir well.
- Add in the dried mango powder, black pepper and the red chili powder and add in the reserved spice water and simmer and cook until all the water is absorbed.
- To finish, heat the remaining teaspoon oil add in the ginger and saute for about 1 minute.
- Pour this over the chickpeas.
- Crush the chickpeas and pour over the chickpeas. Serve hot with sliced red onions if desired.