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Indian cooking / Dishes / Aloo Chholey
Aloo Chholey (Potato & Chickpea (Garbanzo Bean) Snack)

Aloo Chholey

Potato & Chickpea (Garbanzo Bean) Snack
Vegetarian●●●Origin PunjabPrep 10 minutes, plus soaking and cooling timeCook 20 minutes–2 hours

A tangy, spiced potato and chickpea snack tossed with earthy ground spices and bright lemon juice.

Tossing spices

10 gAdded to the potatoes and chickpeas in the mixing bowl (step 3)
01
2.6 g1 teaspoon
souring agent
02
2.6 g1 teaspoon
spice
03
3.6 g2 teaspoons
spice
04
1.3 g½ teaspoon
spice
Stir together to combine evenly.

Everything else

01
200 g
legume
02
500 g
vegetable
03
6 g1 teaspoon
salt
04
2.5 g½ teaspoon
souring agent
05
to taste
salt

Method

  1. Drain 200 g dried chickpea (soaked overnight) and place in a pressure cooker with 500 ml water. Cook under pressure for 10 minutes until tender (or simmer gently in a pot for around 2 hours). Drain thoroughly and set aside.
  2. Boil 500 g potato in a pot of water for about 20 minutes until pierced easily with a knife. Drain, allow to cool completely, then peel off the skins and cut the flesh into bite-sized dice.
  3. Combine the cooked chickpeas and diced potatoes in a mixing bowl. Add the tossing spices, 2.5 g lemon juice, and salt to taste, then toss gently until well coated.

Don't have something?

Dried chickpea
  • Chana dal

    Use equal dry weight; soak for 30 minutes instead of overnight. Cooks much faster and produces a softer, creamier texture rather than firm, whole beans.

  • Dried red kidney bean

    Soak overnight and boil until tender; use equal dry weight. Provides a similarly meaty, sturdy bite, though with an earthier flavour and darker gravy.

Potato
  • Eggplant

    Use equal weight. Cut into large chunks; cooks down much faster (10-12 minutes) and softens into the sauce rather than staying starchy and firm.

  • Paneer

    Use 80% of the weight. Cube and add in the last 5-10 minutes of cooking; adds rich dairy protein instead of starchy bulk.

  • Dried chickpea

    Use 45% dry weight. Soak overnight and boil until fully soft before stirring into the sauce to simmer for 10 minutes.

Amchoor
  • Lemon juice

    Use 15 g (1 tbsp) for every 5 g of amchoor. Stir in at the very end off the heat; adds liquid and fresh citrus aroma rather than dry fruity tang.

  • Tamarind extract

    Use 75% of the weight, dissolved in a splash of warm water. Simmer briefly; darkens the gravy and provides a deeper, caramelised sourness.

Ground cumin
  • Cumin seed

    Dry-roast briefly and grind finely; use equal weight (1:1). Imparts an even punchier, nuttier, toasty aroma than pre-ground cumin.

  • Ground coriander

    Use equal weight (1:1). Adds mild, lemony sweetness rather than cumin's smoky, earthy bite; curries will taste lighter and less savoury.

  • Black cumin seeds

    Grind finely; use 60% to 75% of the weight. Produces a darker, more complex, smoky-herbal flavour suited to rich gravies.

Ground coriander
  • Coriander seeds

    Dry-roast lightly in a pan and grind to a fine powder; use equal weight (1:1). Offers a noticeably fresher, brighter citrus note.

  • Ground cumin

    Use 50% to 75% of the weight. Lacks the floral, citrusy profile of coriander and turns the gravy heavier, earthier, and darker.

  • Garam masala

    Use 50% of the weight and stir in near the end of cooking. Adds warmth and depth since it contains ground coriander, but introduces stronger spices like clove and cinnamon.

Chilli powder
  • Red chilli powder

    Use 100% of the weight. Provides direct, sharp heat and red colour in equal measure.

  • Kashmiri chilli powder

    Use 150% to 200% of the weight if matching colour, but add a pinch of black pepper or hot chilli if you need equivalent fiery heat.

  • Cayenne pepper

    Use 75% to 100% of the weight. Offers a sharp, clean heat with slightly less earthy depth and less crimson colour.

Lemon juice
  • Lime juice

    Use equal volume or weight; delivers almost identical sharp acidity with a faintly more aromatic, bitter-edged profile.

  • Dried mango powder

    Use 25% of the weight (about 1 g amchoor for 4 g juice); provides clean fruity tartness without thinning the sauce.

  • White vinegar

    Use 75% of the volume; gives direct sourness without any citrus floral fragrance.

Similar dishes

Channa Masala
Chickpea (Garbanzo Bean) Curry
Channa Masala has a savory, tomato-and-onion-based flavor rather than the sharp, tangy tartness of this dish.
  • Same: Channa Masala also pairs potatoes and chickpeas seasoned with ground cumin, ground coriander, and chilli powder.
  • Different: Channa Masala is cooked as a saucy curry with onions, tomatoes, ginger-garlic paste, and turmeric, omitting the amchoor and lemon juice used in this tossed dry snack.
Aloo Channe Ka Raita
Spiced Potato Raita with Cumin & Chilli
Aloo Channe Ka Raita tastes cool, creamy, tangy, lightly sweet and gently spicy. This dish tastes tangy and spiced with earthy ground spices and bright lemon juice.
  • Same: Aloo Channe Ka Raita shares potato, chickpeas, ground cumin, ground coriander and chilli powder with this dish. It also uses a dried mango souring agent like this dish's amchoor.
  • Different: Aloo Channe Ka Raita has plain yoghurt, caster sugar and fresh coriander leaf, and it uses canned chickpeas. It lacks this dish's lemon juice and rock salt, and it is a cool yoghurt mixture rather than a tossed snack.
Ghashhi
Chickpea (Garbanzo Bean) Curry from Mangalore
Ghashhi tastes richer, nutty, and deeply tangy from coconut and tamarind rather than bright, sharp, and cumin-forward like this dish.
  • Same: Ghashhi shares the same primary base of chickpeas and potatoes seasoned with coriander and chilli.
  • Different: Unlike this dry, oil-free snack tossed with amchoor, cumin, and lemon juice, Ghashhi is a simmered curry made with fresh coconut, tamarind extract, and an oil tempering of mustard seeds, curry leaves, and asafoetida.
Chharra Aloo
'Marbled' Potatoes in Sauce
Chharra Aloo tastes richer and more fragrant from ghee and whole spices, with a tangy gravy, while this dish is drier, lemony, and earthy from chickpeas.
  • Same: Chharra Aloo shares potatoes, ground cumin, ground coriander, chilli powder, amchoor, and salt with this dish, and both are tangy potato preparations.
  • Different: Chharra Aloo lacks chickpeas and lemon juice, and it uses ghee, whole cardamom, clove, bay leaf, green chilli, turmeric, black pepper, garam masala, and aniseed, while this dish is a dry chickpea-and-potato toss.