[hserus]

Originally Posted by carboy

Dry roast something like Everest or MDH Garam Masala or dry roast actual garam masala ingredients?

You can heat up the garam masala powder a bit in a dry tawa. If you have the patience heat the fresh ingredients like cinnamon, bay leaf, pepper, elaichi etc and powder it in a mixie.

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by carboy

Dry roast something like Everest or MDH Garam Masala or dry roast actual garam masala ingredients?

Powder is always at the risk of burning, therefore typically whole is used to roast/toast, which is then powdered and used immediately.

[hserus]

Originally Posted by alpha1

Powder is always at the risk of burning, therefore typically whole is used to roast/toast, which is then powdered and used immediately.

Very slightly heat up the powder - putting it on a tawa or frying pan at low heat. The smell becomes fantastic.

[archat68]

Originally Posted by carboy

Does anyone have a simple recipe for Punjabi Chole?

If you can get hold of it, MDH chole masala is quite great. We use it at home. Just follow the procedure on the package. It is pre mixed masala, so you will need just onion, ginger, tomato etc.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by archat68

If you can get hold of it, MDH chole masala is quite great. We use it at home. Just follow the procedure on the package. It is pre mixed masala, so you will need just onion, ginger, tomato etc.

From hserus's link, I managed to figure out the difference between Chana Masala & Punjabi Chole. What I need is Punjabi Chole not regular Chana Masala. Is the MDH Masala appropriate for Punjabi Chole?

[archat68]

Originally Posted by carboy

From hserus's link, I managed to figure out the difference between Chana Masala & Punjabi Chole. What I need is Punjabi Chole not regular Chana Masala. Is the MDH Masala appropriate for Punjabi Chole?

What I've heard from North Indians that the blackish colour is obtained in the chole is by adding tea extract. Amchur (dry mango powder) is a component of both chole and chana masala. Anardana is probably an additional ingredient in the chole. We usually add additional quantity of amchur to the chana masala to get the tangy taste as anardana is not freely available in Kolkata. But as a whole we do not find a huge difference. But as you know there ought to be a difference when you cook with a pre-mixed spice compared with individual spices.

Even the Chana masala of the different brands tastes different. We like MDH. In Delhi, there is another brand called Ashok masala that I liked.

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by archat68

the blackish colour is obtained in the chole is by adding tea extract.

Correct, so what I remember from past Years, my mother will put tea leaves in a fine white cotton cloth and put it in the cooker when these are being boiled. It will leave the colour.

Amchur (dry mango powder) is a component of both chole and chana masala.

Depending on the taste, not everyone will put. Same goes for baking soda that usually helps in cooking, again from my gone years, she will keep the channa in water overnight and maybe had to cook little longer but won't add baking soda. Or if it has to be only little.


Let me give my own views relating to Punjabi Channa vs Choley, so the Punjabi channa will be little well-done, usually thick gravy, you may find outer skin loose and mixed with gravy whereas Choley are usually dryer and little harder.

There's another type they are served with Amritsari Naan, these will be with thin gravy and another one that is served with Dry Kultchas

PS - I can only make Tea- that too - Dip type with no Milk, so pardon mistakes in my explanations

[carboy]

Originally Posted by archat68

What I've heard from North Indians that the blackish colour is obtained in the chole is by adding tea extract. Amchur (dry mango powder) is a component of both chole and chana masala.

As per that link, the biggest differences seem to be use of turmeric & tomatoes. Punjabi Chole uses no turmeric & very little of tomatoes, while chana masala uses some turmeric & a lot of tomatoes.

Originally Posted by Turbanator

There's another type they are served with Amritsari Naan, these will be with thin gravy and another one that is served with Dry Kultchas

There is a famous Amritsari Kulcha shop near here - I like their Kulchas but don't like their Chole - it's different from both regular Chana Masala and also from the Punjabi Chole.

[Miyata]

Originally Posted by archat68

the blackish colour is obtained in the chole is by adding tea extract.

Even the Chana masala of the different brands tastes different. We like MDH.

At home, my mom use one tea bag (from the dip tea variety) along with the chickpeas / garbanzo while boiling to get that dark-ish texture. I have adopted that method when we cook at home ourselves.

We too had tried many brands of chana masala, and finally liked the Patanjali ones and now mostly use only that. From the Patanjali guys, this is their only product we've liked.

Someone had informed about the airforce place in Jalahalli (Bangalore) where they sell chola - bhatura. With great anticipation I visited them but returned with equally great disappointment - neither the chola nor the bhatura were worth my visit!

[jkrishnakj]

When we make Chole at home, besides adding Tea Water Extract or sometimes Pomegranate juice, my wife also adds a little bit of Kasuri Methi to get a nice glaze / richness / Density to the dish.

[JMaruru]

Originally Posted by Miyata

At home, my mom use one tea bag (from the dip tea variety) along with the chickpeas / garbanzo while boiling to get that dark-ish texture.

How to leave a 'tea bag' inside a cooker with 'channa'? Doesn't the bag melt, if left 3 - 4 whistles?

[mvadg]

Originally Posted by JMaruru

How to leave a 'tea bag' inside a cooker with 'channa'? Doesn't the bag melt, if left 3 - 4 whistles?

I have not seen this, nor have I done this, but I don't think putting a tea bag in a pressure cooker is a good idea at all. It would be best if the Chana was boiled again a bit later with other ingredients and the tea bag. I commented because I could just imagine the taste of pressure cooked tea - all the bitterest elements from tea would not taste good at all!

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by JMaruru

How to leave a 'tea bag' inside a cooker with 'channa'? Doesn't the bag melt, if left 3 - 4 whistles?

Originally Posted by mvadg

I have not seen this, nor have I done this, but I don't think putting a tea bag in a pressure cooker is a good idea at all. It would be best if the Chana was boiled again a bit later with other ingredients and the tea bag. I commented because I could just imagine the taste of pressure cooked tea - all the bitterest elements from tea would not taste good at all!

I have seen my ex-colleague's wife dropping a tea bag into the pressure cooker with Chickpeas, and the bag stayed intact

[NPV]

Originally Posted by JMaruru

How to leave a 'tea bag' inside a cooker with 'channa'? Doesn't the bag melt, if left 3 - 4 whistles?

Look for a Stainless steel "Tea Infuser" (pretty small and inexpensive actually) - place the tea bag inside it, lock it and drop the strainer inside the cooker. This way, even if the tea bag were to disntegrate/tear it would remain inside the mesh ball of the Tea infuser.

We use this method for something similar - daughter doesn't like the presence of full/bits of spices like peppercorns, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon in the food so we "infuse" the flavor of the spices into the food and then discard the remains after its cooked

[anantpoddar]

Tea bags don't disintegrate and they don't leave a bitter taste when boiled with chickpeas. I always use this method.
If you don't have tea bags, just add 1.5 tea spoons of tea powder during pressure cooking and once it's done, give the chickpeas a slight rinse to wash off the excess tea powder.

For those who are still skeptical of using tea bags during pressure cooking, you can use Amla (dried/fresh). This will bring in the tanginess as well.

Another trick is to pressure boil the cinnamon and cloves along with the chickpeas and retain this water to add later on. Throw away the cinnamon and cloves once pressure boiled. This will infuse the flavour into the chickpeas quite well.