Lahori Chikar Chole a quintessential street food recipe from Lahore. It is thick and mushy chickpea curry packed with flavour, rich in proteins, healthy, hearty, vegan and gluten free. It is best paired with puri, naan or kulcha.
Prep Time10mins
Cook Time35mins
Total Time45mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Pakistani
Servings: 4people
Author: Hirra Pervaiz
Ingredients
1Cupdried chickpeas, soaked overnight2 400gm tins chickpeas
Water as required
1/4cupGhee and Oil
1large Onion, grated
1tbspGinger paste
1tbspGarlic paste
1tspRed Chili powder
1/2tspTurmeric powder
1tspCoriander Powder
1/2tspGaram Masala Powder
1tspAmchur powder
1tspBlack pepper crushed
1tspCumin Powder
1tbspChicken Powder or Chicken Stock Cubeoptional
1/2tspSalt or as required
2green cardamom
2Green Chilies, slit
1medium Potato, boiled
1/4tspBaking soda
Instructions
Soak the chickpeas overnight or for at least 4-6 hours. Tip the chickpeas into a large saucepan and pour in enough water. Bring to a boil and cook until chickpeas are soft but not too mushy. Check the doneness by pressing between fingers. Don't discard the water.
If using canned chickpeas, add the drained canned chickpeas in the pan and pour in water, cook until soft.
In a large pot heat the ghee and oil and add the onions and cook until golden (don't brown the onions). Add the ginger and garlic paste and saute till fragrant.
Add all the spices except black pepper and cumin powder and mix well. Give a splash of water to mix it well.
Blitz the boiled potato and 1/4 cup chickpeas. set aside
Next, add the boiled chickpeas to the pot and mix well. Add the chickpea water, green cardamom, slit green chillies and chicken powder. Bring it to a boil, and lower the heat. Simmer for 15 mins.
Now add the potato and chickpea mix for a creamier, mushy texture. The gravy shouldn’t be too thick or too thin. If it's too thick, add boiled water for desired consistency.
Add the black pepper and cumin powder, mix and cook for another 5 minutes. Taste check and adjust seasoning if needed. Lastly add a pinch of baking soda, mix, cover and let simmer on low heat for 2-3 minutes.
Before serving add 2Tbsp of hot ghee/oil on the top, don’t mix. Take out in a serving bowl.
Serve with puri, naan or kulcha.
Notes
Use Raw Chickpeas– for the authentic taste and texture use the raw Chickpeas, which are easily available in Pakistani/Indian grocery stores or online. You can also use canned Chickpeas.
Soak the Chickpeas– Chickpeas are tough and requires longer cooking time, so pre-soak overnight or for at least 4-6 hours.
Forgot to soak Chickpeas – Soak in warm water for at 3-4 hours.
Slightly overboil Chickpeas– Once boiled chickpeas should be very soft when pressed between the fingers.
To Make Curry Thickand Mushy – Adding boiled potato and mashed chickpeas to the curry make it thick and mushy.
Secret Ingredients – The secret ingredients help elevate the flavour to give that authentic street food style taste.
Serving Suggestion – Serve with puri, naan or kulcha.