Chhole Puriછોલે પૂરી
Spiced chickpeas with hot puri is a Sunday-night or guests-are-coming meal. Soak the chickpeas the night before and the rest is straightforward.
Ingredients
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- 1½ cups chickpeas, soaked overnight
- 2 onions, 3 tomatoes
- 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
- 2 tbsp chhole masala, 1 tsp red chilli powder, ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp dried mango powder or lemon, salt
- Oil, cumin, bay leaf
- Puri and sliced onion to serve
Method
- Pressure cook the chickpeas with salt for 5-6 whistles until soft.
- Heat oil with cumin and bay leaf and fry the onion until golden.
- Add ginger-garlic paste and tomato purée and cook until the oil separates.
- Add the spices and the chickpeas with their water, simmer 15 minutes, and mash a few chickpeas to thicken the gravy.
- Finish with dried mango powder and serve with puri and onion.
Tips
- A tea bag in the cooking water gives chhole their dark colour.
- Mashing a spoon of chickpeas thickens the gravy without any flour.
Storing and reheating
Chhole taste better the next day. They keep three days in the fridge and about a month in the freezer. The gravy thickens as it cools, so loosen it with hot water and bring it back to a boil in a pan. Puri cannot be stored at all; once cold they go leathery and oily, so fry them only when you are ready to eat.
What you can swap
- No chhole masala? Use garam masala with extra coriander-cumin powder and half a teaspoon of crushed anardana.
- With tinned chickpeas you can skip the pressure cooker entirely. Rinse them, add them to the masala and simmer twenty minutes.
- Out of amchur, finish with lemon juice instead. Lemon added while the gravy boils tastes bitter.
- No tea bag? Tie a teaspoon of tea leaves in a scrap of muslin, or drop in two pieces of dried amla.
What to serve with it
A Sunday-morning dish, and what gets made when guests arrive. Serve with sliced raw onion, lemon wedges, green chillies and a little pickle. In Gujarat chhole-puri also turns up at wedding and function meals, and leftover chhole get eaten with rice the next day.
Mistakes to avoid
- The chickpeas really do need a full overnight soak. Four or five hours leaves them soft outside and chalky in the centre.
- Do not add amchur or lemon before the chickpeas are soft. Acid stops them cooking.
- Keep the puri dough firm and add no oil to it. A soft, oiled dough drinks oil and will not puff.
- Wait for the oil to come properly up to heat. In lukewarm oil the puri sinks, stays flat and soaks up fat.
Questions people ask
Why won't my chickpeas soften?
Old chickpeas, hard water, or too short a soak. Add a pinch of baking soda to the soaking water, then drain it and cook in fresh water. Chickpeas that have sat in the cupboard for a year stay firm no matter how many whistles you give them.
Why don't my puris puff up?
A soft dough, uneven rolling, or oil that is not hot enough. Knead the dough stiff, roll to an even thickness, and press the puri gently with the slotted spoon as it goes in. It should balloon on the first try.
Can I make chhole a day ahead?
Yes, and the flavour improves. Keep the gravy slightly loose before refrigerating, since the chickpeas drink up liquid overnight. Add hot water, bring it to a boil, and stir in the fresh coriander and amchur only at that point.
