Curries | curries/gravies | Indian | Main Course | Protein rich | street food

Punjabi Chikar Choley

cs.ankit11@gmail.comMarch 26, 2026

Chikar Choley is a traditional Punjabi chickpea curry. It gets its name from its consistency, chikar means “mushy or muddy”, referring to the smooth and velvety texture of the gravy. It is aromatic, flavorful and very delicious. Unlike regular choley , the use of yogurt and potato  in the gravy and a special blending technique of chickpeas gives the choley its unique smooth consistency.

Ingredients:

Raw Chickpeas : Raw chickpeas give the best texture once cooked. You can use canned but the texture won’t be the same.

Potato and yogurt : These two ingredients separate it from Amritsari choley as they are not used in Amritsari Chole recipe . Potato is just a supporting ingredient here to give the gravy its smooth and velvety texture and the yogurt gives the gravy slight tanginess and creaminess.

Onion and Tomato : Onions make the base of the gravy. Traditionally tomatoes are not added and you can just skip the tomatoes. I like tomatoes in gravy so I added them.

Aromatics: Ginger, garlic green chilli and fresh coriander make gravy so much flavorful.

Spices( whole and ground) :  A lot of ground and whole spices are used in Chikar choley recipe . A special blend of spices called Choley masala is also used which is easily available in Indian shops.

Chikar Choley

Chikar Choley is a thick and aromatic curry from Punjab with a smooth, velvety texture. Unlike other choley recipes, it gets its signature creaminess from blending potatoes and yogurt. It is super delicious, high in protein and vegan.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Dinner, lunch, Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup Kabuli chana/chickpeas Soaked overnight or at least 5-6 hours
• 2 bay leaf
• 2 black cardamom
• 4-5 cloves
• 4-5 black pepper corns
• 1 pinch baking soda
• 1 inch ginger grated
• 6-7 cloves garlic finely chopped/grated
• 3-4 green chillies ( less if you want it less spicy)
• a handful of fresh coriander leaves
• ½ potato
• ¼ cup fresh yogurt
• 3 onions finely chopped
• 2 tomatoes pureed (optional)
• 2-3 tbsp oil/ghee (skip ghee if making it vegan)
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp ginger powder
• 1 tsp dry mango powder
• 1 tbsp choley masala
• ½ tbsp kasuri methi
• 1 tsp red chilli powder ( more if you like it spicy)
• 1-2 tbsp lime juice

For tadka

• 1 tbsp ghee
• few ginger julienne
• 2 green chillies sliced
• 2 dry red chillies
• 1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder

Instructions

 

• First, drain water from soaked chickpeas and add them to a pressure cooker with bay leaves, black cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon stick ,whole black pepper and a pinch of baking soda. Also add 1 peeled potato cut in half.
• Cover the chickpeas with water so the chickpeas are just submerged . Close the pressure cooker and cook on medium heat for 5-6 whistles . Switch off the heat and let the pressure release naturally. Once the pressure is released, check the chickpeas, you should be able to press the chick peas easily with your fingers. If not, cook for 2 more whistles. Remove the potato and discard the whole spices.
• Take ½ cup of boiled chole, potato and ¼ cup yogurt in a mixer jar and grind to a smooth paste without adding water. Keep aside.
• Heat oil/ghee in a deep pan and add finely chopped onion to it. Saute until light golden on edges.
• Add sliced chillies and ginger garlic paste. Cook for 2-3 minutes on medium flame until fragrant.
• Next add pureed tomato. Adding tomato is optional. You can skip this step. Traditionally in chikar choley tomatoes are not added.
• Add salt and cook until the oil/ghee starts leaving the edges. Add all the dry spices like turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, ginger powder, red chilli powder and choley masala. Continue to cook until the masala is cooked properly and oil starts leaving the edges, about 6-7 minutes on medium flame.
• Add the prepare potato yogurt paste to the onion tomato masala and mix nicely.
• Cook for 4-5 minutes on medium flame , stirring continuously.
• Add in boiled chana and mix well. Adjust the consistency by adding some water.
• Cover and cook on low flame for 10-15 minutes. Keep stirring in between.
• Chikar choley gravy is on the thick side. You can adjust the consistency by adding water as required.
• Add kasuri methi , chopped coriander and lemon juice.
• Next, for tadka, in a separate small pan heat 1 tbsp of ghee. Once hot add ginger julienne , sliced chilli and dry red chilli . Switch off the flame and add red chilli powder. Mix nicely and add this tadka to choley.
• Mix well and switch off the flame. Cover the choley for 5 minutes so the flavors are absorbed.
• Enjoy with naan, poori , kulcha or paratha . Serve with extra onion rings and lemon wedges.

Keyword Easy recipes, protein rich