World is ending? Cook chickpeas.

One of my husband’s favorite meals is chole, AKA channa masala, AKA chickpeas that have been bhajied. While it is a pretty simple recipe, it took me a while to find something he liked and sufficiently reminded him of home. But let’s be real, who is going to turn down a home-cooked meal of any kind right? I have not tested this in an instant pot, because we don’t own one. What we have is an Indian style pressure cooker that does the “whistles”. They don’t whistle like a tea kettle, they make more of a loud, steam-filled pssssssshhhhhhhhh sound.

I asked a friend of mine recently how she cooks her chole, and she said she lets it cook for three whistles, or pssssssshhhhhhhhh’s. She said if you cook it for longer it makes the chickpeas mushy. I was surprised by that, because I always cook mine for eight whistles and I don’t feel the texture has ever been bad.

I am trying to find someone to test this recipe in an instant pot, so I will update if that happens!

Notes

When my husband makes this recipe he uses standard black tea. This can be purchased from an Indian grocery store. It can also be used to make chai, so it won’t go to waste. For this recipe, put the loose tea in reusable, fillable tea bags. These can also be found at the almost any grocery store if you know where to look.

I am lazy. I prefer to use a spiced tea like this. Any will brand will work if you find one with similar notes. 

Ingredients

Soak the chickpeas overnight, on the counter in a bowl of water. Make sure that the chickpeas are submerged. You can even let them soak all day, but if you soak them TOO long (like more than a couple of days) they will start to sprout. 

When the chickpeas are soft (can you cut them easily with a knife or your nail?) they are done soaking. Drain the water, put them in the pressure cooker with the black tea bags and cover with vegetable broth. DO NOT fill the pressure cooker with liquid, use just enough to cook the chickpeas. 

Put the pressure cooker on the stove, make sure the lid is locked, and turn the heat to medium high. After 6-8 whistles (this will be some trial and error, your pressure cooker is different than mine!) turn the heat off and let the steam release slowly. When the steam is done releasing, scoop out the chickpeas, leaving the vegetable broth in the cooker for later. 

While the chickpeas are cooking, prep the vegetables and make ginger garlic paste (chop the ginger and garlic into small pieces, add into a small food processor or mortar and pestle and grind to a paste).

In a sauce pot or dutch oven, heat the oil until it shimmers. Fry the onion until they start to brown. Add in the ginger garlic paste and fry until it smells cooked and not raw (about 5 minutes on a medium flame).  

Add in the green chiles and cook for about 30 seconds before adding in the tumeric, chili powder, coriander powder, and salt. Stir and cook for about 30 or 45 seconds making sure the spices won’t burn.

Put the tomatoes in the pot and about ½ cup of the vegetable broth you reserved earlier. Cover the pot and let the tomatoes cook down for about 8 minutes (until they are very mushy). 

Add in the chickpeas, cover with the broth, and let the chickpeas cook for 5 or 10 minutes to incorporate all the flavors. Taste for salt. Using a potato masher, squash the chickpeas a little to thicken the gravy. Finish with 2 teaspoons of garam masala, stirring to incorporate. Garnish with cilantro.

Serve with naan, plain paratha, mango pickle, and raw onion slices