Amritsari Chole with Whole-Wheat Roti
Amritsar's dark, tangy chole gets its colour from tea and its sourness from dried pomegranate seed; the chickpeas stay whole but meltingly soft.
- Region
- Punjab (Amritsar)
- Status
- Traditional
- Diet label
- Strictly vegetarian, egg-free
- Time
- Soak 8 h · Prep 15 min · Cook 50 min
- Serves
- 3
- Difficulty
- Easy–moderate
- Good for
- Weekend lunch, batch cooking
- Tags
- Good source · High fibre · No added sugar · Soy-free · Whey-free · Meal-prep friendly
- Allergens
- Gluten (roti), milk (curd)
Nutrition (estimated)
- Calories
- 615 kcal
- Protein
- 25 g
- Carbs
- 91 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 21 g
Headline values are for the full plate.
| kcal | Protein | Carbs | Fat | Sat fat | Fibre | Total sugars | Protein per 100 kcal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chole only (about 270 g) | 305 | 13 g | 36 g | 10 g | 1 g | 11 g | 10 g | 4.5 g |
| Full plate: chole, 2 rotis, salad, 100 g curd | 615 | 25 g | 91 g | 14 g | 4 g | 21 g | 17 g | 4.0 g |
Good source. IFCT 2017 has no kabuli chana entry; USDA chickpea values are used. Values checked against IFCT 2017 on 14 Oct 2026.
Ingredients
- 180 g kabuli chana, dry · 1 black tea bag (or 1 tsp tea leaves tied in muslin) · ½ tsp baking soda (optional, for softness)
- 120 g onion, finely chopped · 150 g tomato, chopped · 15 g ginger, julienned · 2 green chillies, slit
- 15 g groundnut or mustard oil · 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 10 g chole masala · 5 g anardana powder · ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder · 5 g salt
- Plate: 210 g whole-wheat atta for 6 rotis · 300 g onion-cucumber salad · 300 g curd
Method
- Soak chana in 1 litre water for 8 hours. Drain.
- Pressure-cook with 750 ml water, the tea bag, salt and baking soda (if using) for 1 whistle on high and 20 minutes on low, until a chickpea crushes easily. Discard the tea bag; keep the dark liquid.
- Heat oil; add cumin, then onion. Cook 8 minutes until browned.
- Add half the ginger and the chillies for 1 minute. Add tomato, chole masala, anardana and chilli powder. Cook 8 minutes until thick and dark, mashing the tomato.
- Add chana and its liquid. Simmer 15 minutes uncovered, pressing a few chickpeas to thicken.
- Finish with the remaining ginger. Serve with roti, salad and curd.
Protein optimisation
- Chickpeas supply 11 g per serving; rotis 8 g; curd 3.5 g.
- Boost: stir 50 g paneer cubes per serving into the chole for the last 5 minutes (+9 g protein, +130 kcal, +10 g fat).
Variations, serving and storage
- Regional: Pindi chole — omit tomato; use more anardana and dry spices for a drier, darker dish.
- Substitution: canned chickpeas (drained, rinsed; about 450 g) save the soaking and pressure-cooking.
- Traditional pairing: kulcha or bhatura; whole-wheat roti keeps the plate lighter.
- Storage: 3 days refrigerated; freezes 2 months.
- Food safety: reheat until boiling throughout.
- Meal prep: excellent; flavour improves on day 2.
Nutrition values are estimates calculated from the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (ICMR-NIN) and typical product labels. They have not been laboratory-analysed and will vary with your ingredients, brands and cooking. Recipes are for healthy adults and are general information only, not a substitute for advice from a doctor or qualified dietitian. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, cooking for children, have food allergies, or live with kidney disease, diabetes or any other medical condition, please take professional advice about your diet. From the collection Protein-Rich India by Dr. Shantanu Deshpande · drshantanudeshpande.com