Instant Pot Chole

A copper vessel filled with chole and topped with diced onions, green chili and cilantro; with kulcha on the side.

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5 from 1 vote

Restaurant style Indian recipe; Instant Pot Chole is an easy and quick main dish.

Garbanzo beans cooked in tomato onion curry, this pairs wonderfully with kulcha, naan or even steamed rice.

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian, Punjabi

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 196kcal

Author: Smruti

Ingredients

1 cup Chickpeas (soaked overnight or cooked)
1 cup Onion (diced)
1½ cup Tomatoes (Puréed)
1 inch Ginger (grated)
1-2 cloves Garlic (minced)
1 teaspoon Chole Masala
1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
1 teaspoon Red Chili Powder
1 inch Cinnamon
2-3 Cloves
2-3 Bay leaves
¼ teaspoon Amchur Powder
3 tablespoon Oil
1 teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon Lime Juice
2-3 stalks Cilantro (chopped)

Instructions

Add oil to the insert of the Instant Pot and set mode to 'Sauté' and normal.
3 tablespoon Oil
Once the display reads 'hot', add the whole spices.
1 inch Cinnamon, 2-3 Cloves, 2-3 Bay leaves
Once they are aromatic, add garlic and ginger. Sauté till it is flavorful and add onion.
1 inch Ginger, 1-2 cloves Garlic, 1 cup Onion
Mix well and cook till the onions are soft. It takes about 6-7 minutes.
Next add salt and powdered masalas. Mix well and cook for a few seconds.
1 teaspoon Chole Masala, 1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder, 1 teaspoon Salt, 1 teaspoon Red Chili Powder
Deglaze by adding 2-3 tablespoon water.
Then add the tomato puree and mix well. Let the mixture cook for 7-8 minutes till it is bubbling.
1½ cup Tomatoes
Add in the chole and 2 cups water. Mix well.
1 cup Chickpeas
Close the lid, press 'Cancel' and press 'Pressure Cook'. Set pressure to high and time to 15 minutes and move the valve to sealing.
Once the Instant Pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Then release the remaining pressure manually and open the Instant Pot.
Add lime juice, amchur powder and adjust the consistency by adding water if required.
½ teaspoon Lime Juice, ¼ teaspoon Amchur Powder
Serve topped with chopped onions and cilantro. Chole is amazing with bhature, puri, roti, kulcha or rice.
2-3 stalks Cilantro

Notes

Fresh Ingredients: The best flavor definitely comes from fresh ingredients. Onions, tomatoes, garlic and ginger are great when added fresh. While canned or processed ingredients work, they lack the same flavor.

For the sour flavor: In this recipe I used tomatoes for the sour taste. However, there are a couple of variations possible. Amchur powder, tamarind or anardana powder work as well.

Chole Masala: I like to add minimum spices like cinnamon, cloves and bay leaves. The rest of the flavor comes from the Chole Masala. However, if you do not like to stock your pantry with every kind of masala; just add garam masala and some peppercorns and cardamom.

Canned Garbanzo Beans: If you would rather use canned garbanzo beans for the recipe; it works too. Just drain the chickpeas and follow the recipe. Just adjust the time to 12 minutes and reduce water to 1 cup.

Making dark brown Chole: The dark color of chole is easy to attain. To do so, simply 1 teaspoon loose black tea or 2 tea bags to a cup of hot water and mix well. Let it stand for 10-15 minutes. Then drain and use that water instead of plain water. This imparts a dark color to the chole without actually bringing in any tea taste. Beware, this will have some caffeine.

Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates using an automated calculator. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition