WHISKAFFAIR'S
Wash 1 cup of chickpeas with water and soak them in 3-4 cups of water for 4-5 hours. Drain the water and wash them well once more.
Heat 2 cups of water in a pan over medium heat. Once the water comes to a boil, add 2 teaspoon of black tea leaves (or 2 teabags) and cook for a minute. You can skip this step if you don’t care about the color of the curry.
Strain the tea using a tea strainer and keep it aside.
Lightly crush 2-3 cloves, 1 black cardamom, 2-3 green cardamoms, and a 1-inch piece of cinnamon stick in a mortar and pestle. Heat 5 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a pressure cooker over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the crushed spices and fry for 4-5 seconds.
Add 1 cup of grated onions and fry until they turn slightly brown in color, stirring frequently. Splash a little water if the paste sticks at the bottom of the cooker.
Add 2 teaspoon of ginger garlic paste and fry for 2 minutes.
Now add 1 cup of grated tomatoes and cook for another minute, stirring frequently.
Add 2 tablespoon of chole masala powder, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon cumin powder, and 1 teaspoon anardana powder, and fry until the oil starts to separate from the sides.
Now add the soaked chole, tea water, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoon salt, and 1 cup of water to the cooker and stir gently.
Close the lid of the cooker. Pressure cook for 1 whistle on high heat. Then reduce the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes.
Remove the cooker from heat and let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes. Release the remaining pressure manually and open the lid of the cooker.
Open the lid and add 1 tablespoon of Kauri methi and mix well. Slightly mash the chole using the back of a ladle for a super creamy texture of the curry. Check for salt and add more if needed.
Heat 1 tablespoon of ghee for tempering in a small pan over medium-high heat. Once the ghee is hot, add ½ teaspoon asafetida, 2-3 green chiles (slit into half), and 1 teaspoon ginger juliennes and fry for 10-12 seconds.
Pour the tempering over the chole and mix well. Serve hot.