Chikkar Cholay Dried Beans Pressure Cooker Recipe

Chikkar Cholay originated in Lahore, Chickpeas in a thick spicy sauce. Ground onions, tomatoes and partly smashed beans contribute to thickness.

(Chole, Chholay, Chickpeas, Garbanzo beans)

How to make Cholay?

Ingredients

Pre-soak

1. Kabuli Chana (Dried Garbanzo beans): 2 cups
2. Water for soaking: 6 cups

Pre-cook

3. Water: 3 Cups

Masala

4. Cooking Oil: ½ Cup

5. Cumin Seeds: ¼ teaspoon

6. Whole Fenugreek seeds: ¼ teaspoon

7. Onions Ground: 2 cups

8. Salt: ¾ teaspoon

9. Ground Cayenne pepper: ½ teaspoon
10. Garlic: 10 cloves minced
11. Fresh Ginger 1" peeled and chopped fine: 1 Tablespoon

12. Cholay Spice Mix: 3½ Tablespoon

13. Dahi Yogurt: 3 Tablespoons

14. Chopped Tomatoes: ½ Cup

15. Dry sour mango powder: 1 teaspoon

16. Bay leaf: 3

Garnish

1. Cilantro Chopped

2. Fresh Serrano Chopped

3. Thin wedges of fresh lime

Method

Pre-soak

Bring water to a boil. Add Garbanzo beans. Let it cook for 5 minutes and shut off the heat. Let rest for 12 hours or overnight at room temperature. After pre-soak is done, drain and rinse beans.

Pre-cook

Put water and presoaked beans in a pressure cooker. The water should top the beans by about 2". Lock in the lid. Turn on heat. After the pressure cooker has reached 15 PSI, turn the heat to medium. Cook for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat.

After the pressure has dropped, remove water and 1 cup of beans. Mash the removed beans and return to the pressure cooker. Set the water aside.

Masala

1. Heat cooking oil in a a separate pan.

2. Add Cumin seeds. Fry till seeds just start to turn brown.. one minute

3. Add Fenugreek seeds. Fry about one minute starts to get brown

2. Add onions, salt and cayenne. Fry till water is gone and onions are turning brown. about 5 minutes

3. Add Garlic and ginger. Cook two minutes.

4. Add Cholay Spice mix. Fry about 1 minute

5. Add Dahi one tablespoon at a time till almost all the moisture is gone.

6. Add Mixture, Tomatoes, Amchoor and Bay leaf to the beans in the pressure cooker.

7. Add the water from the pre-cooking just enough so that everything is just submerged. Lock in cover. Turn on heat till the pressure is 15PSI. After 5 minutes, turn off the heat. Let the pressure drop naturally.

8. Garnish the dish.