Today’s recipe is from Haryana, and it is the Hara Dhaniya Cholia or Cilantro and Green Chickpeas Curry. Let’s learn how to make this yummy curry in both a pressure cooker and Instant Pot.
We are in the last week of this blogging marathon. Only six more recipes to go and I couldn’t believe I have already posted twenty recipes.
Every time I grab frozen peas or coconut or undhiyu veggie mix from the freezer section, I see the green chickpeas / Hara chana packets. I always wanted to grab them and try some simple curries, but I kept postponing thinking if we will like it or not as we have never tried it before. But when I was searching for Haryana based recipes, I landed upon Manjula’s Blog and found this Hara Dhaniya Cholia as part of the Haryanvi Thali. The recipe was super simple, and I tried it and guess what, I was banging myself for not trying the cholia before. :-)
Hara Chana – Favorite Vegetable
Hara Chana or green chickpeas is a favorite winter vegetable like hyacinth beans, and it is widely used in Punjabi and Haryanvi cuisine. Aloo Cholia / Potato green channa curry is one among the popular recipes with choliya. But as we love cilantro flavor, I went with Hara Dhaniya Cholia. I pretty much followed Manjula’s recipe but modified the spices according to our taste preference. I used garam masala and also increased the amount of chili powder a bit.
This curry pairs well with poori, roti, and rice. I wish I could source fresh ones, but I guess I need to go with frozen ones for now. What I noticed was, once cooked, the green chana color got changed to brown like regular kala chana. I am not sure if it’s the tendency of the frozen beans. I am yet to experiment more curries with it.
Now off to the Hara Dhaniya Cholia recipe. Here is the quick video that I made. Please subscribe to my youtube channel and stay tuned for new recipes.
Recap:
- 2015 | Day 21 – Oats Porridge
- 2016 | Day 21 – Thayir Vadai
- 2017 | Day 21 – Instant Pot Hara Dhaniya Cholia | Cilantro Green Chickpeas Curry
Instant Pot Hara Dhaniya Cholia | Cilantro Green Chickpeas Curry Recipe
Haryana special, green chickpeas curry with the delicate flavors of cilantro prepared in instant pot, popularly known as Hara Dhaniya Cholia.
Ingredients:
- Frozen Green chickpeas, 12 oz pack – 1
- Chopped Onion – 1 cup
- Tomatoes – 2
- Sugar – ½ tsp
- Salt – 2 tsp
- Coriander Powder – 1 tsp
- Red Chili Powder – ¾ tsp
- Garam Masala – ½ tsp
- Cumin Powder – ½ tsp
- Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp
- Chopped Cilantro – 1 cup
- Oil – 2 tsps
- Cumin Seeds – ½ tsp
- Green chili – 1
- Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 tsp
- Water – 2 cups
Prep – Work:
- Thaw the frozen green chickpeas and make sure it is at room temperature.
- Chop the onion, tomatoes, green chili and cilantro and set aside.
Steps:
Instant Pot Method:
- Set the IP in saute mode and add oil.
- Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds, hing, and green chili.
- Saute for a minute and then add the chopped onions.
- Cook them for a minute and add the ginger garlic paste. Cook this onion ginger garlic mix until the raw smell goes away.
- Then add the tomatoes, sugar, and salt. Mix them all and mash the vegetables with the ladle.
- Add all the dry spice powders (coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili powder, garam masala and turmeric powder) and mix.
- Cover the IP with its lid (no need to lock/seal) cook until the tomatoes are mushy.
- Now add the green chickpeas and mix well.
- Finally, add 2 cups of water and set the IP in manual mode and cook for 3 minutes and release the pressure quickly after 5 minutes.
- Carefully open the IP lid and set the IP back to saute mode.
- Add the chopped cilantro and let it simmer for 2 minutes.
That’s it. Hara Dhaniya cholia is ready. Serve hot with rice or roti.
Pressure Cooker Method:
- Pressure cook the green chickpeas by adding 2 cups of water for just one whistle and let the pressure drop and set it aside. Do not not discard the water.
- Heat a kadai or pan and add oil.
- Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds, hing, and green chili.
- Saute for a minute and then add the chopped onions.
- Cook them for a minute and add the ginger garlic paste. Cook this onion ginger garlic mix until the raw smell goes away.
- Then add the tomatoes, sugar, and salt. Mix them all and mash the vegetables with the ladle.
- Add all the dry spice powders (coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili powder, garam masala and turmeric powder) and mix.
- Cover with a lid cook until the tomatoes are mushy.
- Now add the cooked green chickpeas and mix well. Let it simmer for 3 minutes.
- Add the chopped cilantro and let it simmer again for 2 minutes.
That’s it. Hara Dhaniya Cholia is ready. Serve hot with rice or roti.
Notes:
- Frozen chickpeas cook faster; hence I just cooked for 3 minutes and released the pressure quickly. If using pressure cooker just cook for one whistle. As I haven’t worked with fresh green chickpeas, I am not able to tell the cooking time for the same.
- Adjust the salt and spices as per your preference.
- Garam masala and sugar are optional.
- This curry can be prepared without onion and garlic too. When I prepare that way, I add more tomatoes.
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Hara Dhaniya Cholia | Cilantro Green Chickpeas Curry
Ingredients
- 12 oz Frozen Green chickpeas 12 oz pack - 1
- 1 cup Chopped Onion
- 2 Tomatoes
- ½ tsp Sugar
- 2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Coriander Powder
- ¾ tsp Red Chili Powder
- ½ tsp Garam Masala
- ½ tsp Cumin Powder
- ¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 cup Chopped Cilantro
- 2 tsps Oil
- ½ tsp Cumin Seeds
- 1 Green chili
- 1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
- 2 cups Water
Instructions
Prep - Work
- Thaw the frozen green chickpeas and make sure it is at room temperature.
- Chop the onion, tomatoes, green chili and cilantro and set aside.
Steps
Instant Pot Method
- Set the IP in saute mode and add oil.
- Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds, hing, and green chili.
- Saute for a minute and then add the chopped onions.
- Cook them for a minute and add the ginger garlic paste. Cook this onion ginger garlic mix until the raw smell goes away.
- Then add the tomatoes, sugar, and salt. Mix them all and mash the vegetables with the ladle.
- Add all the dry spice powders (coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili powder, garam masala and turmeric powder) and mix.
- Cover the IP with its lid (no need to lock/seal) cook until the tomatoes are mushy.
- Now add the green chickpeas and mix well.
- Finally, add 2 cups of water and set the IP in manual mode and cook for 3 minutes and release the pressure quickly after 5 minutes.
- Carefully open the IP lid and set the IP back to saute mode.
- Add the chopped cilantro and let it simmer for 2 minutes.
- That's it. Hara Dhaniya cholia is ready. Serve hot with rice or roti.
Pressure Cooker Method
- Pressure cook the green chickpeas by adding 2 cups of water for just one whistle and let the pressure drop and set it aside. Do not not discard the water.
- Heat a kadai or pan and add oil.
- Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds, hing, and green chili.
- Saute for a minute and then add the chopped onions.
- Cook them for a minute and add the ginger garlic paste. Cook this onion ginger garlic mix until the raw smell goes away.
- Then add the tomatoes, sugar, and salt. Mix them all and mash the vegetables with the ladle.
- Add all the dry spice powders (coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili powder, garam masala and turmeric powder) and mix.
- Cover with a lid cook until the tomatoes are mushy.
- Now add the cooked green chickpeas and mix well. Let it simmer for 3 minutes.
- Add the chopped cilantro and let it simmer again for 2 minutes.
- That's it. Hara Dhaniya cholia is ready. Serve hot with rice or roti.
Notes
- Frozen chickpeas cook faster; hence I just cooked for 3 minutes and released the pressure quickly. If using pressure cooker just cook for one whistle. As I haven't worked with fresh green chickpeas, I am not able to tell the cooking time for the same.
- Adjust the salt and spices as per your preference.
- Garam masala and sugar are optional.
- This curry can be prepared without onion and garlic too. When I prepare that way, I add more tomatoes. Adapted from Desi Fiesta
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
Enjoying Hara Dhaniya Cholia? You will love these, too:
- Instant Pot Kwati | Mixed Bean Stew
- Vegetarian Refried Beans in Instant Pot | Homemade Refried Beans
- Aloo Frankie
- Instant Pot Soybeans Curry | Soya Beans Curry
- Pressure Cooker Sambar Rice | Quinoa Sambar Sadham
turned out good here, i used dried green chana instead (1 hour in instantpot) and added amchur powder at the end (because it had sweet, salty, hot, and needed sour)
That’s awesome. Thanks for the feedback and yes amchur would have added so much flavor.
Tried this today and it turned out delicious . Thanks so much !
Thank you. Glad it turned out delicious. Thanks for the feedback.
Delicious curry. Would be good with chapathis.
Yes Ruchi. Thanks
Never cooked with green chickpeas till now, also checked the frozen zone but never spotted them, am can smell the aroma of this curry virtually. What a beautiful curry there.
Oh is it. I got the deep brand not sure if you will get it there. Thanks Priya
Haven’t tasted it yet, but I already love this recipe!! Thanks for sharing with us, I’ll definitely make it during the week!
Thanks Diana and welcome to my space.
Shrividhya I get these in dried form and the colour changes the moment its is cooked. It is a let down so I stopped bringing these.Of course I made it like regular cholay or just plain boiled them. I like this hara dhania cholia will try making it,
oh ok… good to know. I was bit worried. Thanks a lot
I love cooking these but prefer the fresh ones . The season for the fresh ones is very short but you will fall in love once you taste them . When you have no choice then of course the dry or frozen ones are the source . You have made them in the typical way and I can vouch they must have tasted absolutely fantastic .
Thanks a lot Vaishali.
So true Vidhya…we are nearly done with this mega marathon. Time surely flies. Love this green chana recipe…so many spices must have made it very flavourful. Yum
Thanks Sowmya.
I remember when we used to get green chickpeas, my mum would make us take them out of the pods and she would use in undhiyu. Long time since I’ve seen them here. Love the preparation, its so flavorful.
awww using it in Undhiyu is really great. Need to try that too. Thanks Mayuri.
Even i never tried cooking with green chickpeas before .. I should give a try now.. This version tempts me..
:-) Thanks Sharmila.
This is a fantastic chickpea dish Srividhya, the green ones taste different and this masala would have surely made it very delicious..
Yes it was. Thanks Valli.
Once I got a pack of green chickpeas and after a while I ended up making sundal with it. This curry sounds so delicious. Looks like a perfect pair for rotis..
Yes it pairs well with rotis and rice too Gayathri.
I make potato and green chickpeas curry , this version looks almost similar except cilantro. Love this healthy curry.
Thanks Sapana.