2tablespoonsCilantro or coriander leaveschopped finely
Instructions
Soaking, Boiling Chickpeas:
Wash the dried chickpeas under running cold water until water runs clear. Or rinse them 2-3 times until the water is not cloudy anymore.
Then soak in enough water (2 inches above) for at least 8 hours or overnight. Did you forget to soak ahead of time? No worries check out my quick soaking method in the notes below.
Now discard the soaking water, take soaked chana and freshwater in the pressure cooker. Add whole spices (cinnamon, black cardamoms) and teabag.
Cover the cooker with the lid, put the weight on and cook for 1 whistle on HIGH + 20 minutes On LOW. Let the pressure go down naturally, then open the lid. Discard the teabag and spices.
- Cook in instant pot: takes about 10-15 minutes (see the details here - Instant pot chickpeas)
Making Chana Aloo Masala:
Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add chopped onions and sprinkle a little salt to speed up the cooking process. Cook until they turn soft and translucent or light pink in color.
Then add ginger, garlic paste and green chilies. Saute for 30-40 seconds or until the raw smell of ginger-garlic goes away.
Now add pureed tomatoes. Cook until most of the moisture from puree evaporates and becomes a thick paste.
Now add remaining salt and spice powders (turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, chana masala, amchur, anardana powder). Mix well and cook for a minute. Oil may start to ooze out from the masala.
Now add boiled chana (along with its boiling water) and boiled, cubed potato. Note: If the boiled chickpeas have too much water then do not add all. Just add enough to make a gravy consistency.
Mix everything well and let it simmer for 6-7 minutes so the chole and potato get a chance to absorb the masala flavor.
Lastly, garnish with chopped cilantro. Mix and aloo chole is ready to serve.
Notes
Here is the detailed blog post on how to boil potatoes in Instant pot.Quick Soaking Method for chickpeas: Take washed chana and plenty of water in a saucepan. Turn the heat on HIGH and let it come to a boil and then continue boiling for 5 minutes. Then turn off the stove. Cover the pan with the lid and let it rest for 1 hour. When you take a look at chana after 1 hour, they will be the same as overnight soaked.If you are using canned chickpeas, then no need to pressure cook them. But you need to rinse canned chickpeas. Also, the whole spices we added in the pressure cooker (skip the teabag), add those into the hot oil and then add onions and continue.