Chole is a delicious vegetarian Indian curry made with chickpeas. It can be made in under an hour in an Instant Pot and meal prepped for the week! Serve it alongside bhatura or rice.
Soak the chickpeas in twice the amount of water for 4-6 hours maximum or overnight.
Turn the Instant Pot on the sauté mode and heat neutral oil. Once hot, add the cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, and mustard seeds.
Once the cumin and mustard seeds begin popping, add the diced onion, ginger, garlic, whole chili peppers and fry until the onions turn light brown.
Mix the turmeric, coriander powder, garam masala, chili powder, chana masala, salt to taste with the onions. Allow the spices to temper in the oil for a minute.
Add the tomato paste with 2-3 tablespoons of water. The gravy will be pretty loose to start off with. Simmer for 3-4 minutes until the oil separates on the sides and the mixture has darkened in color.
Wash the chickpeas a few times and drain it. Pour the chickpeas into the gravy and toss it until the chickpeas are well coated. Cover the chickpeas with 3 cups of water.
Cover the Instant Pot with the lid and set it to the bean/chili mode. Cook for 45 minutes.
Uncover the Instant Pot. With a potato masher, mash the chickpeas 5-6 times to thicken up the gravy. Allow the chickpeas to rest with the lid slightly uncovered for 5-10 minutes.
Serve warm with cilantro and a bit of ghee over rice or with bhature.
Notes
Skip the ghee or use vegan butter to make this recipe vegan.
Used canned chickpeas instead of soaking dried chickpeas overnight and cut down on cook time.
Chole can also be made on the stovetop. Complete the same steps above in a large pot, and simmer the chole for one hour covered. Be sure to stir to stir every now and then and check for a thickened curry and soft chickpeas.