Aloo chole recipe is an Indian dish that is mixed with chickpeas, potatoes, tomatoes and different spices & herbs. It is a vegan-friendly dish that is best eaten with roti flatbread or rice.
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Indian cuisines have one of the best vegetarian dishes in the world. Their food is as tasty as meat dishes. One time, I went to an Indian restaurant that serves only vegetarian dishes, recommended by my friend from India. And it is there I ate their Aloo Chole.
In Hindu, Aloo means "Potato" while Chole means "Chickpeas". The dish is made from dried chickpeas that were soaked in water overnight, which was boil in water to make it soft. After that, the potatoes and chickpeas are cook in oil in the pan which is added with different spices.
This is one of my favorite vegetarian dish which is spicy, hot, and flavorful. And because I love this food, I am going to show my version of how to make Aloo Chole.
🥘 Recipe Ingredients
Here are my few important ingredients I use to make my delicious Aloo Chole recipe:
CHICKPEAS- I am using dried chick peas/garbanzo beans which I soaked in the water before cooking them. I prefer dried beans because it is fresh and it contains more nutrients than canned chickpeas.
POTATOES: Along with chick peas, potatoes is one of the main vegetable ingredients for this recipe.
TOMATOES: I am using fresh tomatoes to help make the sauce thick and red
SPICES & HERBS: I am using different spices for making my dish flavorful. These spices include garam masala, bay leaves, curry, coriander, red chili & cumin powder, and cumin seeds. One thing to remember that most Indian recipes use many spices, which makes it delicious.
📖 Things to do first before cooking
Before you start cooking this recipe, you must soak the dried garbanzo beans or chickpeas in water overnight. This will help make the chickpeas soft which will be easier and take less time to boil. I usually boiled between 45 minutes to 1 hour to make sure it is soft.
If you don't soak it overnight, you will need a longer time just to boil the dried beans. Once you are done boiling the chickpeas and check if it is soft, then that is the time you can start cooking Aloo Chole.
🔪 Step by Step Instruction
As long you have the ingredients, cooking this recipe is simple and straightforward.
Firstly, I add vegetable oil to the pan, and once it becomes hot I added the cumin seeds. Next, you add the ginger, garlic, and bay leaves and give a stir before you add the onion.
And then I add the potatoes and once it is cooked then I add the chopped tomatoes. After that, I added the spices, except the Garam Masala, which I stir for few minutes before I add the chickpeas.
Lastly, add water and then garam masala. Let it simmer for 5 minutes before you turn off the heat and you are done.
💭 Variation & Tips
- The flavor or the taste tends to get stronger in the next day
- You can use canned peeled tomatoes instead of fresh tomatoes
- It is better to use Chickpeas stock than water since it does not make the sauce bland.
- To cook the chickpeas faster, it is better to use pressure cooker which takes only 30 minutes to make it soft
- Boiling the potatoes first before putting into the chickpeas will help cook the aloo chole faster and helps retain the sauce.
🧾Question and Answer
If you don't want to spend time soaking overnight or boiling in the pot, I highly recommend you use canned chickpeas. They are already soft and you can just cook it directly in the pan along with the rest of the ingredients.
This recipe is more as a side dish rather main dish, which means it is served with other Indian side dishes like Eggplant Masala, Aloo Gobi (potatoes with cauliflower), or samosas. Also, we eat these side dishes with either roti/flatbread or rice.
If you don't want your Aloo Chole recipe spicy, do not add red chili powder. Also, some Garam Masala powder is mildly spicy since some of their ingredients contain red chili. To resolve this, you can use other brands of Garam Masala that do not contain this ingredient.
Of course. The flavor and the aroma tend to be stronger if you keep it in the fridge for one day before eating this dish.
This chickpeas & potato curry recipe can last in the fridge for up to 5 days before it will start to spoil.
Other Indian Food Recipes
Here are other delicious Indian food recipes to try at home:
📋 Recipe Card
Aloo Chole (Potato & Chickpea Curry)
Ingredients
- 2 cup of boiled chickpeas
- 1 cup of chopped potatoes
- 1 cup of chopped tomatoes
- 1 cup of chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon of grated garlic
- ½ teaspoon of grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon of garam masala
- 1 tablespoon of coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon of cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon of cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon of curry powder
- ½ teaspoon of red chili powder
- 4 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoon of brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- Salt and Black Pepper for taste
- 1 cup of water
Instructions
- Add vegetable oil in the pot. Once hot, add cumin seeds. Stir till it turns brown
- Add ginger & garlic and bay leaves. Give a quick stir before adding the chopped onion. Stir again until it turns transparent.
- Add chopped potatoes. Let it saute for 5 minutes or until it is half cooked
- Add chopped tomatoes and give a quick stir
- Add all the spices, except the garam masala. Stir to mix.
- Add the boiled chickpeas and pour water.
- Once it started to simmer, add the garam masala & brown sugar. Stir to combine.
- Add salt & black pepper for taste and let it simmer for additional 5 to 10 minutes before turning off the heat.
- Serve with roti flatbread or rice
What a delicious combination of flavors and everything we love, a must try soon!
Thank you Claudia. Let me know if you already made it.
Thanks a lot for sharing this chole recipe! super loved it!
I am glad you like it Allyssa
This is one of my favorite Indian dishes and love how simple you make it to create at home!
Thanks Gina. It is also one of my easiest and favorite dish to make.
My hubby and I loved this recipe! So delicious and full of flavor! Such a tasty and great recipe to try! Making this again soon!
Thanks for sharing your experience Beth. I am glad you love it