Chole — Punjabi Chickpea Curry (छोले)

Punjab; chole bhature is the defining Sunday breakfast of North India and the Punjabi diaspora worldwide; the dish became nationally popular through the Punjabi refugee community's food culture post-Partition

Punjabi chole (छोले — chickpeas, Cicer arietinum) is the definitive North Indian chickpea curry: dried kabuli chana soaked overnight and pressure-cooked to tenderness, then cooked in a black-tea-darkened gravy of onion, tomato, and chole masala until the chickpeas are completely infused with the spice and the gravy clings to each bean. The black tea trick — cooking the chickpeas with a bag of strong black tea — darkens the chickpeas to an authentic deep brown colour and adds tannins that contribute complexity absent from plain-cooked chickpeas. The chole masala blend (with pomegranate seed powder, amchur, and black cardamom) is distinct from any other masala and gives chole its characteristically sour, complex depth.

Served with bhatura or kulcha and sliced raw onion. The hot, spiced chickpea in its dark, clinging gravy against the puffy fried bhatura is the definitive North Indian breakfast/brunch combination.