Pressure Cooked Chana Masala – Chole – Chickpea Curry

Chana Masala is our family favorite including kids. My kids wait for the Chole Puri day desperately.
Chana Masala or Chole Curry is traditionally served with hot crispy fried puris or Bhature, hot steamy Jeera Rice and a side of sautéed potatoes, and is a huge favourite at weekend brunches.

Chana masala ([ˈtʃənaː məˈsaːlaː]; literally “mix-spiced small-chickpeas”), also known as channay or chole masala or chole or chholay (plural), is a dish in Indian cuisine and Pakistani cuisine. The main ingredient is a variety of chickpea called chana (चना) or kala chana (meaning black chana). They are much smaller than typical chickpeas (about half the diameter) with a stronger flavour and firmer texture even after being cooked.
Chole is the name for the larger and lighter coloured chickpea commonly found in the West. These are known as kabuli chana (काबुली चना) in Hindi-Urdu. Chana masala is fairly dry and spicy with a sour citrus note (the flavor usually comes from coriander and onion). Chana are usually replaced by chole in most restaurants, and both versions are widely sold as snack food and street food in India and Pakistan.
Along with chickpeas, the ingredients of chana masala typically include onion, chopped tomatoes, coriander seed, garlic, chillies, ginger, dried mango powder (amchur, sometimes spelled “amchoor”), crushed pomegranate seed (anardana) and garam masala.
To prepare Chana Masala, I use the following ingredients:
1 cup chole / chickpea, soaked overnight
2 tbsp oil / butter, I use mix of 1 tbsp Oil + 1 tbsp Ghee
1 bay leaf
1 inch cinnamon stick
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
1 tbsp kashmiri chilli powder
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
½ tsp cumin powder
¾ tsp aamchur powder / dry-mango powder if available
salt to taste
½ tsp garam masala
2 cups water
2 tsp coriander leaves, finely chopped
½ lemon juice (optional)
Below you can follow the video instructions to prepare Chana Masala my way…

In India, it is often eaten with a type of fried bread and is known as chole bhature. It is commonly sold by street vendors but can also be found in restaurants.
It is popular mainly in northern India, and also in the region of Gujarat. In the Gujarat and Rajasthani areas, it is commonly cooked dry, with tangy spices. In Kerala, white appam served with chana masala is one of the main dishes for breakfast. Chana masala is known as kadala curry among Keralites.
Making of Chole – Chana Masala Curry
In a pressure cooker pot, heat oil / butter. using more oil makes dhaba style chole masala.
When the oil is hot enough, saute bay leaf, cinnamon stick and cumin seeds till they turn aromatic.
also add finely chopped onions and ginger-garlic paste. saute till it turns golden brown.
add tomatoes and saute till they start releasing oil.
Add chilli powder, turmeric, coriander powder, cumin powder, aamchur powder, garam masala and salt. saute for a minute.
Then add soaked chickpea / canned chickpea. make sure to soak chickpea overnight if its not canned chickpea.
Add 2 cups of water. add more water if you like it to be more gravy.
Give a good mix, check the seasonings. Make sure the masala water to be slightly salty as chole will absorb while cooking.
pressure cook for 8-10 whistles on medium flame. or In a electric pressure cooker, set for 30 minutes.
Allow the pressure to release by itself before opening cooker.
Squeeze lemon and mix well. garnish with coriander leaves.
Finally, serve hot with poori / Rice/ chapathi / bhatura and enjoy!
Aloo chole is a Pakistani variation of chana masala made with potatoes as well as chickpeas. In Lahore, a variation of the dish called murgh cholay is popular. The dish has added chicken and is part of the traditional breakfast of the Pakistani city.
I usually prefer to make not to dry and not too much gravy, but in between. In this post I am going to share the easiest pressure cooked Chole curry that you will love to make again and again as it is super delicious, quick and easy to make, just in one pot! You can make use of your electric pressure cooker or just use stove top pressure cooker. For electric pressure cooker, I allow 10min saute and 30 minutes of cook time. For stove top pressure cooker, it is even faster, saute onion, tomato gravy and once the pressure cooker is locked, hear about 8-10 whistles for soaked Chickpeas or else you will have to cook longer.
To make this recipe perfect, I would like to share few tips here. I always prefer to soak Chickpeas(Chana) overnight, or at least allow 6-8 hours.