recipe reviews for:

Cholay (Curried Chickpeas)

“This is a very flavourful recipe from North India, usually eaten with fried bread like bhatura or puri. I like to serve it over rice for a very filling meal. You can also try it as a quick snack over toasted bread. This recipe is much quicker to make if you use precooked canned beans, but I like to think that the authentic flavour comes from doing it the hard way!”

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Reviewed: Sep. 13, 2009

Bland and prep intensive.

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toothrees

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Reviewed: Apr. 11, 2009

awsome flavour. i had to add more garam masala but it ended up tasting just like at a restaurant. definitely will do this again...and so easy to make!

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carolyn

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Reviewed: Feb. 18, 2009

I used a can of stewed tomatos and some tomato paste instead of the fresh tomatos. I also added a bag of frozen onions and peppers. I thought this recipe was pretty good and very easy/economical. I served it with brown rice.

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gina51283

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Reviewed: Feb. 16, 2009

This is my go-to recipe for a quick veggie curry. I usually up the spices quite a bit, or sometimes I just use a small can of chickpeas and the same amount of spices and sauce. Really delicious and easy.

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Steph Fisher

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Muncie, Indiana, USA

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Reviewed: Jul. 11, 2008

Good. I added curry paste.

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KECIA123

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Rome, Georgia, USA

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Reviewed: Jul. 4, 2008

This was pretty darned good! I used fresh roma tomatoes and halved the recipe entirely, but I wish I had used more tomatoes. Next time three tomatoes for one can of chickpeas!

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Reviewer:

Elli

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

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Reviewed: May 4, 2008

Awesome after I took the advice from others and almost doubled the spices.

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Ariel

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Reviewed: Mar. 3, 2008

The best Cholay/Chana Masala recipie... as long as a couple of adjustments are made. 1. One can of chickpeas per batch 2. Use a strong robust black tea (Find a local Indian store and ask the clerk what their best tea is. For me it was Red Label orange pekoe) 3. Use a good amount of tea (about 1/8 cup per batch) 4. Don't split the beans in half, just dump the whole can in your tea-water 5. Boil down the tea water to about half, and throw everything else into this pot. (it helps to start the tea-water/chickpea process in a medium-large saucepan) One interesting variation is to add about 1/2c plain yogurt towards the end, this will add a little tangy, and give you more gravy to mix with your rice.

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KirbyF

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Hillsboro, Oregon, USA

Living In: Eugene, Oregon, USA

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Reviewed: Aug. 24, 2007

really good light curry. Alot of steps that is why I gave it a 4! It is worth it though if you have the time.

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LITTLECHILE

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Penticton, British Columbia, Canada

Living In: Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico

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Reviewed: Feb. 4, 2007

Pretty good, but a little bland. Next time I will add tumeric, and more cayenne and garma masala.

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lizcooks

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Reviewed: Dec. 31, 2006

This was positively delicious. It tasted like I bought it from a good Indian restaurant. I served it over Basmati rice and it was perfect.

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NIGHTOWLIN

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Reviewed: Dec. 2, 2006

The way to make this taste it came from an Indian restuarant is to add a small can of tomato paste near the end of cooking. Much Improved!

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Reviewer:

Churchill808

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

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Reviewed: Jul. 22, 2006

This has the potential to be a great dish but it definitely needs more spices (garam masala and turmeric are NOT optional) and less garbanzo beans. Will certainly make again because this tastes quite authentic to me.

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SunFlower

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Charleroi, Hainaut, Belgium

Living In: Jette, Brussels, Belgium

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Reviewed: Jun. 12, 2006

I tasted it while it was still in the pan (during that last five minutes of cooking) and I was pretty disappointed in the flavor. So then I added another round of spices, including cayenne pepper, 1/4 tsp. garam masala, 1/8 tsp. curry powder, and 1/8 tsp. garlic salt. I let it cook for another ten minutes so that all the chickpeas were soft. I served it on top of brown rice and it is delicious. Instead of a tea bag I used some loose Indian-spiced rooibos. I would definitely make this again, I will just be sure to double the spices.

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JILLITH

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Reviewed: Jun. 10, 2006

I used more red pepper and more cilantro than the recipe calls for. Spicy, and healthy, it's yummy with pita or naan bread.

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Reviewer:

christina

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Chicago, Illinois, USA

Living In: Riverside, California, USA

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Reviewed: Jun. 8, 2006

"utterly delicious" is what my boyfriend said about this. I served it with yogurt and rice. Thanks for the easy recipe.

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Reviewer:

wendyn

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Little Rock, Arkansas, USA

Living In: Norman, Oklahoma, USA

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Reviewed: May 29, 2006

This was really good but not my favorite Indian recipe.

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Hillary

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Long Beach, California, USA

Living In: Santa Barbara, California, USA

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Reviewed: May 14, 2006

This was delicious! For Indian food, it was relatively simple, too. I basically skipped step 2, putting everything together in step 3. This way the spices got more into everything insted of just part of it. I agree with the suggestions to lower the chickpea-to-vegetables ratio, next time I will use the whole amount of onions suggested and even more tomatoes. Thanks for the recipe, I will definitely make this again.

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RUBYJI

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

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Reviewed: Mar. 30, 2006

Excellent recipe. It took me two tries to get it just right though. I adjusted some items the second time I made it as follows. First, I reduced the amount of Chickpeas to one can while keeping the other amounts the same. I personally like this ratio better, and it left lots of extra gravy for rice or naan. Next, I used a high quality, rich black tea to heat the chickpeas. Third, it definitely needs the salt added. Don't underestimate this. Last I added a fair amount of cayenne to make it nice and spicy (again my preference).

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