Name: Amritsari Chole Paneer
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 540 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: ½ cup White Chickpeas, soaked overnight; 1 Tea Bag, for boiling; 100 g Paneer, cut into cubes and lightly shallow fried; 1 Onion, finely grated; ¾ cup Tomato Puree; ¾ tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste; 1 tbsp Chole Masala; 1½ Green Chili Pepper, slit; 1½ tbsp Ghee; ¾ tsp Salt, to taste

9 hrtotal

1 hr hands-on8 hr hands-off

Prep 20 min · Cook 40 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: High

Add to your week

Method

In a pressure cooker, submerge the chickpeas in water with salt and the tea bag. Cook for 5-6 whistles until the legumes are yielding. Discard the tea bag and strictly reserve the dark broth.
Heat pure ghee in a heavy vessel. Introduce the finely grated onions and sauté with extreme patience until they caramelize into a deep golden brown.
Incorporate the ginger-garlic paste and slit green chillies. Sauté for 2 minutes to eliminate all traces of raw aroma.
2 min
Pour the tomato puree and the chole masala into the pan. Cook this spice base until it turns significantly dark and releases its fats at the borders.
Add the boiled chickpeas and their dark cooking water to the masala. Crush a few chickpeas against the side of the pot with the ladle to thicken the gravy.
Simmer the curry on low heat for 10-15 minutes to allow the spices to penetrate the core of the chickpeas.
10–15 min
Finally, fold in the pre-fried paneer cubes. Simmer for a concluding 2 minutes to integrate the paneer before presenting.
2 min

How to tell it's done

Melt-in-mouth dark chickpeas and firm paneer cubes suspended in a thick, highly spiced, tangy, and robust brown gravy.

Getting it right

Tip

A quick shallow fry seals the paneer cubes so they hold their shape in the heavy chole gravy instead of breaking up.

What to serve it with

A match made in Punjabi heaven when served alongside fluffy Bhaturas or robust Kulchas.

Jain Tindora Masala

Tindora masala cooks ivy gourd in a dry tomato masala, made without onion or garlic.

35 minvegetarian

Jain Turai Matar

Turai matar cooks ridge gourd with green peas in a light tomato masala, without onion or garlic.

35 minvegetarian

Jain Turiya Patra Nu Shaak

Turiya patra nu shaak cooks ridge gourd with rolled colocasia leaves, a Gujarati pairing made without onion or garlic.

1 hr 40 minvegetarian

Jaisalmeri Kala Chana

Jaisalmeri kala chana cooks black chickpeas in a yoghurt and gram flour gravy, a desert dish that needs no fresh vegetables.

8 hr 55 minvegetarian

Kacche Kele Ki Sabzi (Raw Banana Fry)

Raw banana fry cuts green banana into rounds and crisps them with a mustard and urad dal tempering.

25 minvegan

Kadhai Paneer

Kadhai paneer is paneer and capsicum tossed in a thick masala of pounded coriander seeds and dried red chilli.

50 minvegetarian

Ingredients