To begin with, the Amritsari Chole Recipe, first prep all the ingredients and keep them ready.
Ensure the Kabuli Chana/ Chickpeas was soaked for 8 hours or overnight in water. Add the soaked chana into the pressure cooker, add a teaspoon of salt. Ensure the water level is at least 2 inches above the level. of chana.
Pressure cook the chickpeas/ kabuli chana for about 10 minutes on high heat. There will be multiple rounds of whistles from the pressure cooker. After the first 10 minutes, turn the heat to low and continue pressure cook for another 30 minutes and then turn off the heat. In total a cooking time of 40 minutes in the pressure cooker.
In the meanwhile, we will make the Amritsari Chole Masala Powder.
Preheat a skillet over medium heat; add all the spices and ingredients mentioned in the Chole Masala Powder section – coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cinnamon, cloves, badi elaichi, anardana seeds and black pepper corns.
Roast all of them on medium high heat for about 5 minutes until you get a roasted aroma and the spices start getting a roasted colour.
Ensure you keep stirring it while they are getting roasted – so they get roasted evenly from all sides.
Once done, turn off the heat and allow it to cool a bit. Once cooled, add the roasted chole masala spices into a small jar of the mixer grinder, add the kashmiri red chilli powder and amchur powder and blend to make smooth powder.
Keep the Amritsari chole masala powder aside.
Final step is to bring all the masala together.
Add 2 tablespoons of ghee to a preheated pan over medium heat; add the onion, ginger, garlic and saute until the onion softens.
Once the onion softens, add the dry Amritsari chole masala, chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder and kala namak and saute the tomatoes until it becomes mushy and soft.
Once the tomatoes are soft. Add the cooked kabuli chana/ chickpeas into the chole masala. Stir well to combine.
Cover the pan and simmer the Amritsari Chole Masala for a good 30 minutes.
After 15 minutes of simmering, keep the pan uncovered and cook it open until the Amritsari chole masala has a thick gravy consistency. Mash a few chana a little to make it a thick gravy if required. Check the salt at this stage and add more if required.
Once done, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of ghee and give it a brisk boil for a minute and turn off the heat.
Finally garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with julienned ginger.
Serve the Amritsari Chole along with Bhatura, Puri, or Kulcha and pair it along with lacha pyaz, boondi raita and some green chillies by the side for a special weekend lunch.