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    Home Β» Pakistani Recipes Β» Aloo Chana or Aloo Choley

    Aloo Chana or Aloo Choley

    Jun 6, 2015 Β· Modified: Jan 8, 2021 Β· by Sarah Mir

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Jump to the Aloo Chana Recipe

    School was a hop skip and jump away from Boat Basin, an iconic strip of food joints that had some of the best food Karachi has to offer. Most people will sit in their cars and order food from the servers who will come up to the window. You could get a burger from Chips, a slush from Mr. Burger, Chicken Tikkas from Tandoori Hut, Caramel Crunch Ice Cream from Rajoos and a Cold Coffee from Baloch all without moving an inch. And then that Aloo Chana and Poori. Woah. Just thinking about it is making me happy and hungry.

    My favorite Boat Basin memories are the early morning ones - the times where close friends and soon to be friends would show up long before the city was awake to sit on damp plastic chairs, huddling in to ourselves as we held our cups of chai tight and anxiously awaited our halwa puri breakfast. Now we call it halwa puri, but most of the times it was a 'hold the halwa, bring me puris and aloo chana" breakfast.Β 

    Aloo Chole in a bowl, rice in the background, daal in a small bowl, a wedge of lemon and a glass of water.

    Why these aren't the same, but are still my favourite

    Nowadays I have Aloo Chana more often for dinner and lunch than I do breakfast. My favourite version to make at home is this one - it is not quite the same as the breakfast cholay. When I originally shared this recipe years ago it felt like it was, but now that I am older and pay more attention to what I eat the flavour differential seems clear to me.

    I still make this most though because it is a great way to have a filling vegetarian main and because when it has these flavours I don't get that whole breakfast for dinner vibe! That said if you want to know how to get that Pakistani breakfast chole taste keep reading!

    How to make "Nashtay Walay" Aloo Cholay

    If you want to add some of that Boat Basin Nashta flair then I have three tips for you. Brace yourself because one will sound a little strange.

    • Cook the cholay with a teabag - the teabag will give the cholay a colour and flavour that will take you straight back to those chickpeas
    • Omit the tomatoes - really!
    • Add a dollop of achar.Β 
    A bowl of aloo chana, two pieces of radish

    I do strongly recommend you try this Aloo Chana recipe as is and preferably with a South Asian brand of canned chickpeas since they tend to be smaller and softer. I love having these chholay with roti, but the girls like them over rice. Can you still serve these with pooris? Of course!Β 

    Love them chickpeas? So do I! Here are two other favourites with chickpeas in them!

    Murgh Cholay
    Murgh Chholay - Chicken and Chickpea Curry
    Chholay Palak - a milder kid friendly curry

    Tried this recipe? Please rate it below and if you make it then tag me on instagram @flourandspiceblog - I'd love to see your recreation!

    Print Recipe
    5 from 6 votes

    Aloo Chole/Chana or Potato and Chickpea Curry

    A simple satisfying vegetarian curry made with chickpeas and potatoes.
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time30 mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Pakistani
    Keyword: Chholay, Cholay, Chana, Nashta, Breakfast
    Servings: 4
    Author: Sarah Mir

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups cooked chickpeas
    • 1 cup potatoes cut into Β½ cm thick pieces
    • 1 onion diced
    • 1 tsp cumin seeds
    • Β½ tsp nigella seeds (kalonji)
    • 2-3 cloves
    • 4 black peppers
    • 1 inch ginger (grated) or 2 tsp ginger paste
    • 4 cloves garlic crushed or 1 tsp garlic paste
    • 1 tbsp coriander powder
    • 1 Β½ tbsp red chilli powder
    • 1 Β½ - 2 tsp salt
    • ΒΌ tsp turmeric powder
    • ΒΌ tsp baking soda
    • 2 tomatoes finely diced
    • 3 tbsp chopped cilantro
    • as many green chillies as you can eat - I used 4-5 thinly sliced
    • lemon wedges for serving

    Instructions

    • Heat ΒΌ cup of oil in a large saucepan or wok, add cumin seeds, cloves, peppers, and kalonji. The seeds will sputter and smell amazing
    • Add onions and fry till golden
    • Now add the ginger and garlic, stir for a minute or two then add the rest of your dry spices i.e. coriander powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder, and salt.
    • Saute for two minutes then throw in the chopped tomatoes, cook till 'bhunn' i.e masalas form a cohesive paste and oil rises above them.
    • Now add your chickpeas, potatoes, and baking soda. Stir well, then add one cup of hot water and cover your pan. Bring the mixture to a boil then let it simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are done.
    • Mash the potatoes and chickpeas slightly with the back of a large spoon to create a thicker gravy. Taste for salt - you may need to add more.
    • Then top with cilantro, chillies, and serve with lemon wedges, achar and hot puris. Yum.
    A Pakistani recipe for a spiced potato and chickpea curry. A bowl of the curry with sliced onions, cilantro and green chilies.
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Nandini says

      June 06, 2015 at 11:51 am

      My husband loves Choley πŸ™‚ . This looks so yummy!

      Reply
    2. This Cake is Desi says

      June 06, 2015 at 6:50 pm

      Ohh I have so many memories of boat basin, we used to stop by there every time I went to my in-laws. The cholay look awesome:)

      Reply
    3. love in the kitchen says

      June 06, 2015 at 7:39 pm

      I love your description of the boat basin and the food there. What a great memory. The cholay does look SO delicious.

      Reply
    4. Aruna Panangipally says

      June 06, 2015 at 8:07 pm

      I love Aloo Choley! I have never used Kalonji in Choley and will certainly do the next time. πŸ™‚

      Reply
    5. Traditionally Modern Food says

      June 07, 2015 at 12:47 pm

      Choley looks super yum:-)lovely clicks

      Reply
      • sarahjmir says

        June 07, 2015 at 7:54 pm

        Thanks so much!

        Reply
    6. Namrata says

      June 07, 2015 at 11:26 pm

      alu choley is classic north Indian curry. Have fond memories of this aromatic dish:)

      Reply
    7. radhikasethi says

      June 08, 2015 at 10:56 am

      Your Boat Basin memories have taken me into my own "Boat Basin" days! Lovely post and so looking forward to try this version of cholle! It's my hubby's fav. πŸ™‚

      Reply
      • sarahjmir says

        June 08, 2015 at 11:33 am

        aww thank you!!! hope he enjoys it as much as we do!

        Reply
    8. Carrie says

      June 15, 2015 at 7:55 pm

      Yum! That looks spicy and delicious. Getting food in the car in the market (pani puri and rolled paratha) was one of the first things we ate on my first trip, it was such a fun experience!

      Reply
    9. banglesandbungalows says

      June 16, 2015 at 10:49 pm

      I love aloo puri! My mom usually cooks it so this is a great go-to recipe for doing it on my own πŸ™‚

      xx Yasmin
      http://banglesandbungalows.com

      Reply
      • sarahjmir says

        June 17, 2015 at 9:46 pm

        Hi Yasmin! thanks for stopping by πŸ™‚

        Reply
    10. [email protected] says

      June 17, 2015 at 1:29 pm

      Thank you for such an easy to follow and tasty recipe!

      Reply
    11. bristol plasterers says

      July 22, 2015 at 11:44 am

      This sounds lovely. Going to give this a go. thanks for sharing this recipe.

      Simon

      Reply
      • sarahjmir says

        July 22, 2015 at 6:17 pm

        please do! would love to hear how this turns out!

        Reply
    12. Petesdragon says

      August 11, 2015 at 6:21 pm

      Why do people comment on a recipe before trying it? What's the point? I'd like to know if others have tried the recipe and how it turned out for them to help me decide whether to try it myself. Commenting that it looks yummy is totally useless. Just saying...

      Reply
      • sarahjmir says

        August 11, 2015 at 6:49 pm

        I used to wonder that myself πŸ™‚ Then I realize when you actually start blogging the feedback/encouragement actually means a lot. Looks yummy is a compliment I am happy to take, of course tastes amazing would be even better!

        Reply
    13. Mariam says

      August 18, 2016 at 5:39 am

      Assalam-u-Alaikum!
      I tried this recipe yesterday and it was delicious. My family loved it. Thanks for such a fool proof recipe.

      Reply
      • [email protected] says

        August 22, 2016 at 2:34 pm

        Thanks so much Mariam!!! Am thrilled that you guys liked it and thanks so much for taking the time to let me know - totally appreciate it!

        Reply
    14. Fatima says

      September 07, 2017 at 3:18 am

      How much baking soda?

      Reply
      • [email protected] says

        September 27, 2017 at 10:14 pm

        I am SO SO sorry I missed this but a small pinch, 1/4 tsp-ish I'd say. Will update the post πŸ™‚

        Reply
    15. Susan says

      May 09, 2018 at 2:03 am

      Thank you, Sarah, for these simple yet awesome recipes. It's indeed a gastronomic delight. I would suggest it would be nice if you could mention the quantity of the ingredients in grams. For example, the quantity of chickpeas mentioned in the above recipe is "one can". Not every one needs to buy canned or tinned chickpeas. Thank you, once again for sharing these recipes and keep up the good work.

      Reply
      • [email protected] says

        May 13, 2018 at 10:53 pm

        That's such a good point Susan! Thank you for your kind works and the suggestion - editing the recipe now!

        Reply
    16. Raabeaa says

      March 31, 2020 at 1:15 pm

      Hi Sarah!
      I’d like to try making this with the tea bag but am confused as to when to add it? Sorry if that is a silly question! Thanks! πŸ™‚

      Reply
      • [email protected] says

        April 04, 2020 at 10:01 pm

        Hi! Ok so I usually put the tea bag in the end for about 5-8 minutes. If you cook it too long it gets a bit of a bitter taste!

        Reply
        • raabeaa says

          April 06, 2020 at 3:55 pm

          awesome! tysm! πŸ™‚

          Reply
          • [email protected] says

            April 06, 2020 at 5:03 pm

            thank YOU!

            Reply
    17. PURVEZ DESAI says

      March 12, 2021 at 2:36 pm

      I had found a recipe for the very simple carrot achaar they serve with the choley puri and was dying to eat it with the authentic item.

      WELL!! THIS IS IT!! I cooked the breakfast version with the teabag and no tomato and I was suddenly sitting in Karachi again.

      Hazaar Shukriya!!

      Reply
      • [email protected] says

        March 14, 2021 at 4:29 pm

        First of all THANK YOU!!!! Hearing that made my day!!! Also you know I am going to ask you for this achar recipe! I love that particular achar so much!

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Sarah! Welcome to Flour & Spice, the foodie world of a Pakistani origin Canadian mama of two whose busy life and love for food means practicality reigns supreme! I love baking (duh!), my readers (extra duh!), reading, coffee, singing loudly slightly off key, and aprons.

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