I Can’t Wait for Chole

I Can’t Wait for Chole

  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Total Time: 35 mins
  • Servings: 4
  • About This Recipe

    “A nice spicy Indian chickpea recipe. I know, I know. The beans come from a can. Yeah, yeah. But I was so hungry, and I was in a hurry! Remember this little dish the next time you’re short on time, too! To serve as a vegetarian main dish, increase the quantity. Reheats well, too.”

    Ingredients

  • 2mediumonions, chopped
  • 1tablespoongrated fresh ginger
  • 2tablespoonschopped garlic
  • 1 1/2 teaspoonscumin seeds
  • 1bay leaf
  • 1/2 inchcinnamon stick
  • 2mediumtomatoes, chopped
  • 1teaspoonground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoonturmeric
  • salt
  • 1/4-1/2 teaspooncayenne pepper
  • 2 (15ounce) cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2-1teaspoongaram masala
  • 1tablespoonfresh lemon juice
  • Directions

  • In large saucepan over medium heat, heat cumin seeds, bay leaf and cinnamon until very fragrant, swirling around to prevent burning.
  • Add ginger and garlic, cooking until the smell of those fills the air, then add onions.
  • Saute onions, stirring frequently, and adding drops of water to prevent sticking, until they are translucent.
  • Add the tomatoes, coriander, turmeric, salt, and cayenne.
  • Check for seasoning, adding more as you prefer.
  • Bring to a boil.
  • Add garbanzo beans (chickpeas), cover, and reduce heat.
  • Simmer on low for 10-15 minutes.
  • Stir in garam masala and lemon juice just before serving.
  • Garnish with a sprinkle of chopped cilantro if you desire.
  • Serve with rice, or Indian breads or pitas (breads are best warmed on a hot griddle).
  • Reviews

  • “I made this for lunch this afternoon. I scaled it down to 2 servings. I can’t thank you enough for this recipe. Reasons:- 1. Without even a drop of oil, I could never imagine cooking chole, this recipe did the unbelievable and the dish was liked by all at the lunch table. This is good for those of us who are trying to cut down on fat in our food.2. This was ready really quick. I suggest you title it ‘Instant Chole Without A Drop Of Oil”.3. This recipe uses minimum masala powders which is again very good. I’ll be making this very often from now onwards. My mom, dad, even my picky eater brother and me, we all THANK YOU SO MUCH for this flavourful no-oil chole sabzi.Thanks!”

  • “Great flavors in this recipe. I used the full teaspoon of garam masala and had to use cayenne because I don’t know what reshampatti chili powder is so I am pretty sure I don’t have it. I served this as a main dish for me and my husband. We thought is tasted so delicious and will definitely have it again. Doesn’t bother us that it uses canned beans (he-he). Thanks for the recipe.”

  • “This was a wonderful recipe!I followed the recipe (okay – maybe a bit more cayenne) and found this to be delicious.My husband liked this as well.Thank you for posting!”

  • “Excellent recipe! And easy too! :)”

  • “Very Good!I served over rice.Now I am craving it again, lol.Great way to dress up a can of beans girl!Thanks”

  • “Sue L, fiance and I loved this dish. We served it with your palak paneer recipe, Char’s Tav(Pan) Mushrooms, and your pakoras recipe! (Needless to say, that was WAY too much food!) Anyway, I absolutely love the combination of cinnamon, garlic, ginger, garam masala, cumin, and bay leaf in this recipe (and there are even more spices I didn’t list)! Fantastic. Thank you.”

  • “I have been meaning to find a good and easy chole recipe.This is it! Great recipe.I used a bit of olive oil to try the cumin seeds in, tastes just as good. Thanks.”

  • “Really nice vegetarian main dish!I love all the spices.Thanks, Sue!”

  • “I made this, adding some chicken to meet hubby’s definition of dinner. It was pretty good. I don’t know if I did something wrong, but the spices just didn’t last thru the cooking. But not bad. Thanks. This was a great recipe for my son who’s allergic to milk & eggs.”

  • “I was looking for a fast dish after a long day at work and this was perfect. Hearty, flavorful, healthy and quick! I used three cans of garbanzo beans. After reading the reviews, I added a whole can (28 oz) of chunky tomato sauce and a teaspoon of cayenne pepper (We like spicy). I also simmered it for 45 minutes. The flavors blended in really well. Served with rotis and basmati rice. This is a keeper! Thanks Sue Lau!”

  • “My roommate and I made this for a dinner party. Unfortunately none of us liked it very much. The taste was off and the texture was odd.”

  • “Delicious and easy. I used a can of diced tomatoes and 2 teaspoons cumin seeds, lightly ground with a mortar and pestle, which I also used to grind whole coriander seeds. Also used a full teaspoon cayenne. Otherwise followed the recipe. Thanks!”

  • “I find it quite difficult to find tasty vegetarian recipes that everyone will like – this fit the bill! Next time I will probably add a skosh more spice as I felt it could use a little more punch – or maybe that’s just because I completely forgot the lemon juice. Thanks!”

  • “This was really yummy and easy to put together! I halved the recipe and did end up adding a little more garam masala and about 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder. I also added a little extra virgin olive oil with the onions because I didn’t want to have to worry about burning anything, since I’m prone to that.”

  • “I’ve been looking for healthy, tasty meals that are also inexpensive–this certainly fits the bill.Though I’ve never had chole before I thought this tasted great.I served it with pita and a spinach salad.Yum.Thanks for posting Sue!”

  • “For a quick version, this is pretty good. I used chicken bouillon instead of salt, and had to cook it longer than 15 minutes (still kind of crunchy). Thanks for a quick recipe!”

  • “I really loved this. It’s very simple (and I’m so into simple these days) and oh so tasty. The flavors marry quickly and compliment each other and the chick peas wonderfully. I made 2 servings and didn’t see any way to get 1/4 inch of cinnamon stick so I just used 1/2 a teaspoon of ground, it worked for me, lol. Rice, of course, seems to be a natural and I used brown. Yumm.”

  • “This tasted like eating a spice rack.It is possible that some of my spices might have been too old but I will not make this again.Thanks anyway.”

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