Love the rich aroma and bold flavours of street-style chole? This one-pot pressure cooker recipe makes it easy to recreate the same restaurant-style taste at home with minimal effort and simple ingredients.
The secret lies in cooking soaked chickpeas with whole spices, onions, tomatoes and a tea pouch, which gives the curry its signature dark colour. A final tempering of mustard oil, ginger, Kashmiri chilli powder and kasuri methi adds the authentic street-style aroma.
Ingredients
For Pressure Cooking:
2 cups chickpeas (soaked overnight)
2 onions, roughly chopped
3 tomatoes, roughly chopped
2-3 green chillies
1 tea pouch
2 bay leaves
1 black cardamom
4-5 cloves
1-inch cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
Salt to taste
Water as needed
After Pressure Cooking:
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
2 teaspoons chole masala
2 tablespoons tamarind water or 1 teaspoon amchur powder
For the Tempering:
2 tablespoons mustard oil
2 tablespoons ginger, julienned
1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder
1 teaspoon kasuri methi
Fresh coriander leaves for garnish
Method
Add the soaked chickpeas, onions, tomatoes, green chillies, whole spices, tea pouch, salt and enough water to a pressure cooker. Cook for 5–6 whistles and allow the pressure to release naturally.
Open the cooker, remove the tea pouch and stir in the red chilli powder, chole masala and tamarind water or amchur powder. Simmer for a few minutes.
Heat mustard oil in a small pan. Add the ginger strips, Kashmiri chilli powder and kasuri methi, cooking for just a few seconds without burning the spices.
Pour the hot tempering over the chole, immediately cover with a lid and let it rest for a few minutes so the flavours blend.
Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot with bhature, kulcha, jeera rice, paratha or chapati.
This simple one-pot recipe delivers rich, spicy and aromatic chole with minimal effort, making it perfect for both everyday meals and special occasions.
