Creamy Maharashtrian Chole
By: ChefPriyanka
Published: Monday, November 22, 2010 - 5:35pm

Ingredients




1 can chick peas (I use Goya)
1 medium sized onion- diced
1 beefsteak tomato- diced
1 tablespoon black mustard seeds
1 tablespoon garam masala
3 cloves garlic- crushed and minced
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1/4 cup sour cream (I used reduced-fat Breakstones Brand or use Vegan Substitute)
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 tablespoon chili powder (or to taste)
1 tablespoon couple water
salt- to taste
coarse black pepper- few grinds
1/2 bunch cilantro- minced
1 red onion- cut into thick rounds (for garnishing)
4 sweet peppers- for garnishing (optional)
PAM- original
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Preparation

1 In the skillet over medium-high heat spray with PAM and pour oil. Add mustard seeds, and cook until they are fragrant and “pop” about 30 seconds to a minute. Add onions, garlic and ginger and saute for about 2-3 minutes until slightly brown/golden. Add the diced tomatoes and saute for a few more minutes. Add garam masala, turmeric, chili powder. Once the onions are caramelized and the tomatoes soft, add the chickpeas and combine with the onion-tomatoe mixture until well coated. 2 After about 2-3 minutes add the sour cream and cook until everything is well combined. Add salt and pepper, taste. Cook until chickpeas are soft and flavored well. Make sure to taste a few times for salt and masala. If it’s too thick, add a few tbsp of water (consistency should be creamy, gravy-like, not too thick). 3 Once the gravy has thickened, chickpeas are cooked well and you’ve tasted for salt/masala, remove from heat and mix in 3/4 of the reserved chopped cilantro. Clean the pan and set back on medium-high heat. Spray with PAM and the thick red onion slices and small sweet peppers. Saute on medium-high heat until onions are charred and soft (without breaking circular shape). Place chole in a nice serving dish and top with remaining cilantro, onions and peppers. Serve with Basmati rice, chapati or naan.

About


Chole is a classic Indian dish. However, not many people know that chole is made differently across different parts of India. For example there’s Gujurati style chole, which is served in a traditional ‘thali,’ South Indian Chole, which uses curry leaves, and Maharashtrian Chole, which is served in parts of Mumbai. Traditionally, Chole is made with Ghee (India clarified butter) and oil/butter, but that’s not very healthy or necessary to obtain an authentic taste. Plus the addition of reduced-fat sour cream adds a rich creamy taste without the excessive amount of fat!