Amritsari Kulche Chole

Flavourful, spicy chole from Amritsar served with buttery soft  aloo kulcha.

Ingredients:
For chole:

• 2 cups white chickpeas soaked overnight
• Salt to taste
• 2 tea bags
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 2 tsp dry mango powder
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp carom seeds
• A pinch of asafoetida
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1-2 chopped green chillies
• 1 onions (paste)
• 2 tomatoes (pureed)
• 2 tomatoes (roughly sliced)
• 2 medium sized  boiled potatoes
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 3-4 tbsp oil

Dry spice mix:

• 11/2 tsp cumin seeds
•  5-6 cloves
• 10-15 black pepper corns
• 1 no. mace
• 2 black cardamom 
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 tsp coriander seeds
• 2 dry red chillies

For garnishing:

• Chopped coriander leaves
• Choppoed green chillies( optional)

Directions:

• Dry roast the spices mentioned under dry spice and grind to a fine powder and keep aside.
• Peel potatoes and cut them into big chunks and deep fry till crispy, keep aside.
• Boil chickpeas in a pressure cooker with 3 cups of water put tea bags and salt, cook till tender. Discard tea bags after opening the pressure cooker. Save the water for later use. keep aside.
• In a wok heat oil, add asafoetida, carom seeds and bay leaves, saute it for few seconds then add onion paste and cook till it changes the colour to light brown, next add tomato puree and cook till oil separates.
• Add boiled chickpeas, chilli powder, ground spices, dry mango powder, half of the reserved water, mix well and cook for 5-7 minutes.
• Put tomato slices and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Add fried potato chunks, sprinkle lemon juice and stir well.
• Garnish with coriander leaves, ginger juliennes and some chopped green chilli.
• Serve hot.

(I prefer the texture of chole little dry, but you can increase the amount of water in the gravy)

Aloo Kulcha
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 cup curd
• water as required

For stuffing:

• 2 boiled potatoes:
• 2 chopped green chillies
• Some chopped coriander leaves
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp Dry mango powder
• 1 tsp chaat masala
• Red chilli powder to taste

For topping:

• Chopped coriander leaves
• Nigella seeds

Directions:

• In a mixing bowl add both flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar and whisk well. Make a well in the center, add oil, curd and water and knead into a soft pliable dough.
• Cover the dough with a wet muslin cloth, and keep it aside for 2 hours.
• Mix together all the ingredients mentioned under stuffing and divide into 4 equal portions.
• Take an orange sized ball from the dough and roll into a roti. Place one portion of the stuffing in the centre of the roti.
•  Bring together all the sides in the centre and seal tightly and roll into a medium thick roti on a clean surface dusted with flour
• Top it with some chopped coriander leaves and nigella seeds.
• Apply some water on the top of the kulcha and put it on a tawa from the wet side so it sticks to the tawa.
• Cook on medium flame, when the kulcha starts to puff on the top turn the tawa upside down and cook kulcha on direct flame from the top side.
• When cooked put a dollop of butter and serve hot.