Cholay, also known as Chana Masala, are commonly served as a breakfast dish served alongside halwa with puris (deep fried flatbreads) and/or parathas (flatbreads cooked in ghee/oil). This sort of a breakfast is absolutely heavenly - but let's not discuss the hours in the gym we'd need to spend to burn a deep fried flatbread off!
I also like my Cholay with white rice or chapattis. That's the beauty of this chickpea curry - it pairs wonderfully with pretty much anything!
These Cholay are on the spicy side and have just the right amount of tanginess to compliment the spice, thanks to the yogurt and mango powder (aamchoor) in this recipe.
A few tips
- Don't tamper with the paprika as it gives a gorgeous hue to the curry, balancing out the whiteness of the yogurt. Another alternative is to add Kashmiri red chilli powder or deghi mirch, both of which are very vivid-hued and mild chilli powders, if you don't have paprika.
- For more tender, melt-in-your-mouth chickpeas, you can increase the cook time for up to 2 hours. If you do this, you'll need to add more water accordingly.
- If you don't have mango powder, this recipe won't be the same. I highly recommend getting your hands on some - you'll find them at most Desi supermarkets. Alternatively, pomegranate powder would work too.
- This recipe also works with any other legume you may want to use - black chickpeas, black eyed peas, kidney beans etc.
More Chickpea Recipes
📋 Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion diced finely
- 2 medium tomatoes diced finely
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 inch garlic minced
- 1 tin chickpeas 1 tin = 1 cup or 160g cooked
- ½ cup (130 g) full fat yogurt
- 3 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika for colour - can use deghi mirch or Kashmiri red chilli powder instead
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ¾ teaspoon garam masala
- ¼ teaspoon amchoor powder dried mango powder, optional
- fresh coriander, chopped for garnishing
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pot and add the chopped onions, garlic and ginger. Cook them over a medium to high heat till they brown lightly. Don't let them burn! Keep stirring to prevent them from burning.
- Add the tomatoes and a few splashes of water. Let this cook over medium heat till the tomatoes break down and a thick masala forms. You'll need to stir often to help the tomatoes break down.
- Add all the spices and the chickpeas. Let this cook for 2 minutes in the masala.
- Add in the yogurt and ½ cup of very hot (not boiling) water. Turn the heat to low and let the curry simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Uncover - if the curry isn't as thick as you'd like, allow it to thicken over a medium to high heat without the lid.
- Garnish with freshly chopped coriander before serving.
Notes
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Rhys
Would you or anyone else of Pakistani descent find it weird that I ate the leftovers of this in an omelette? Another delicious recipe, your website is an absolute treasure trove.
Anna
Absolutely loved this recipe! Huge hit, the amchoor really gave it such a nice tang. This website has been such a godsend for me, thank you! X
Fatima Cooks
You're so very welcome, Anna!
Paul:-)
Hi Fatima,
I think you may mean an inch of ginger rather than garlic as it says on the card.
I love Chickpeas of both colours and often like to mix the two for a contrast of texture. I can almost taste this as I type.
Will give a rating when I’ve tried it.
Paul:-)
blobbyblobblob
"Don’t temper with the paprika" - I think you mean "tamper"