What would a Madarasi do when cooking a Chole Masala? He naturally would add a spoon or two (or more) of sambar powder. I have been cooking this version of Chole for a long time and I would say this is a perfect blend of North and TamBram cooking traditions, resulting in a mouthwatering dish. It is the combination of sambar, chana and garam masala powders that gives this fusion its aroma and taste. For a TamBram, it is the sight of the black mustard seeds floating in the chole that makes this dish so homey. There is something in it for a Punjabi too. The alluring taste of amchoor and the masala smell is enough to make this dish at least partially Punjabi. But why add jaggery to this dish, you may ask. For a long time, this was a deliberately kept secret by the old-time wedding cooks in Madras. Their sambars were notoriously good and no one was able to figure out why. Legend has it that the master cooks wouldn’t even tell their own crews what it was. The master cook would come in at the final hour to taste the sambar, and pull out a packet of jaggery and mix it without telling anyone about it. But here is a word of caution, jaggery needs to be added in just the right amount. As they say in Tamil, beyond its limit, even the immortal nectar (amrit) becomes poisonous.
This is a pure vegetarian food, and you can make it vegan by substituting vegetable oil for the butter. It can also be prepared as a gluten free food, if you avoid the hing while garnishing/cooking.
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Madarasi Chole Masala
I have been cooking this version of Chole for a long time and I would say this is a perfect blend of North and TamBram cooking traditions, resulting in a mouthwatering dish. It is the combination of sambar, chana and garam masala powders that gives this fusion its aroma and taste. For a TamBram, it is the sight of the black mustard seeds floating in the chole that makes this dish so homey. This is a pure vegetarian food, and you can make it vegan by substituting vegetable oil for the butter. It can also be prepared as a gluten free food, if you avoid the hing while garnishing/cooking.
Carefully remove any small stones or bad garbanzo beans. Rinse the beans thoroughly and soak them overnight.
Pour the contents of the dry spices into the instant pot inner pot (IP) (put the spices in one small area of the pot). Pour the vegetable oil over the spices (enough to soak the spices plus a little more).
Plug in the Instant Pot, press ‘sauté’ and ‘adjust’ to ensure the digital display is on ‘more.’ This is the high setting for sauté.
When you first hear the sound of the mustard seed "popping," add the diced green chilies, butter, and ginger/garlic paste into the pan. Stir until the butter melts and the chilies and garlic/ginger paste mix well together.
Add onions to the pot. Stir occasionally until the onions are cooked to a 'golden brown' color.
Add salt, sambar powder, masala powder, channa masala powder and the turmeric powder. Mix them well and let them cook together. Add a cup of water to the pot and bring to a boil.
Add the diced tomatoes. Ensure you stir periodically for uniform cooking and mixing of spices. Bring it to a boil.
Rinse the garbanzos and pour them into to the IP. Add Potatoes. Add about 1.0 cup of water, but ensure that the water is just enough and it is not too much.
On manual high pressure with the vent closed, cook them for 10 minutes. Once the IP has cooled down, make sure there is no pressure in the cooker and that the (pressure) pin is down. Open the cooker lid -- be careful, as the dhal will be extremely hot.
Add jaggery when the contents are still hot and stir it well.
