Vegan Tawa Chole or chana chaat or curried chickpea/garbanzo salad recipe is packed with authentic flavors, plus it's easy and quick to make. This Garbanzo beans Stir Fry is such a welcome variation to the regular chana masala!
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What Is Tawa Chole
Punjabi cuisine is very rich, spicy, and masaledar (wholesome flavors). Even the whole spices used in this cuisine are very aromatic and distinctive. Chana Masala is a Northern India specialty! It is one of their most popular curries that has a fan following from all around the globe.
My curried chickpea salad is very similar yet very different from the traditional Chana masala recipe. It's called Tawa chole, Chana Chaat, or Curried Chickpea Salad! This is my go-to recipe when I am not in the mood to make elaborate chana masala. The Chickpea Sundal is a South Indian variation of this dry salad-like dish.
Chana Masala 🎥
Discovered this dish on a road trip
I tasted this chana chaat for the first time in Punjab where I was on a road trip with my friends. While we were there, we only ate at Dhabas because we wanted to try the local food. In fact, that trip turned out to be a great culinary experience of sorts for us! The variety of food we got to taste on that trip was memorable.
All the food we had there was chatpata with flavors that aroused all five senses. Dine at a local Dhaba if and when you visit the north of India. It's totally worth the experience. Having had this dish there, I wanted to recreate it for my readers, and what better time than now? So if you have got chickpeas or garbanzo beans handy, give this Tawa Chole dish a try!
Why make this
- It's a dry sabzi (curry) compared to the Chana masala gravy.
- It has all the flavors of chaat. So, it is extremely delicious to taste.
- It can be enjoyed as a hearty snack or salad.
- Plus it's a quicker version!
Garbanzo beans vs chickpeas
But wait, there seems to be a constant debate on garbanzo beans vs chickpeas. Let me break this myth! Chickpeas are garbanzo beans! Yes, they are the same.
While the two names seem unrelated, they are in fact the same bean. The only difference between garbanzo beans vs chickpeas is that "chickpeas" refers to its English name while "garbanzo" is its Spanish name.
Ingredients needed 🧾
The best thing about this vegan chickpea recipe is that it's made using basic pantry staples. Even if you don't have some ingredients, you can easily substitute it with something else or skip adding it.
Chickpeas - You can use any kind - dried or canned. Personally, for this recipe, I prefer canned chickpeas because they are cooked and they hold their shape.
Chana masala spice mix - This is essential to any Indian-style chickpeas recipe, so it is a good spice mix to buy. It gives the recipe an authentic taste. You can find this in any Indian grocery store or on Amazon. Read notes for substitute options.
Other spice mixes like turmeric, paprika, cumin powder, and garam masala are used in this recipe.
Veggies like onion, tomato, cilantro, garlic, and ginger are what you will need.
Carom seeds - available in the whole spice section at a grocery store are great for digestion.
Lemon juice - helps balance the flavors and gives them the required tang.
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How to make it 🔪
If you are a fan of the Indian chana masala, then you will love this vegan curried chickpea salad recipe. It is a fairly simple and easy recipe to make.
I used canned chickpeas in this recipe. Drain the liquid in it (preserve this liquid if you want. This is aquafaba) and rinse the canned chickpeas under running water. Read my tips and notes if using dried chickpeas.
- Add cooked chickpeas to a mixing bowl.
- Then add paprika, garam masala, cumin powder, and salt.
- Add chole masala.
- Mix it all together and let it marinate for 20 minutes
- Then, heat the oil in a skillet. Fry ajwain (carom seeds), half of the chopped cilantro, ginger, and garlic. Saute till the raw smell disappears. The aroma of ajwain and masala will spread in your kitchen, which is a good thing.
- Now add and saute onions till they turn translucent.
- Then add the tomatoes and salt. Cook till the tomatoes are done.
- Next, add the marinated chickpeas. Give it a good mix. Saute for another 2-3 minutes till all the masala is cooked.
- Lastly, add chopped raw onions, lemon juice, and the remaining chopped cilantro for garnish. Chickpea Stir Fry is ready!
Serving suggestions 🍽
While you can enjoy this vegan Tawa chole or curried chickpea salad as a snack by itself, it also makes a great combo with Puri or any flatbread. You can also stuff it in pita bread, burritos, wraps, or tacos. Every bite releases a burst of flavors in the mouth. I am so glad that I made this recipe. Now I have another quick alternate go-to recipe to cook with a can of chickpeas!
Top recipe tips 💭
Chana masala spice blend is key to the recipe. But if unavailable, use any curry powder or garam masala that you have. You can also swap chickpeas with any beans and make this recipe.
The garnish is important in this vegan chickpea salad. The raw onions give this dish the required crunch, lemon juice gives it the extra zing and the cilantro gives it a nice aroma. Do not skip it.
Recipe FAQs 📖
While I have used canned chickpeas in this chana chaat recipe, you can use dried ones too. If using raw chickpeas, then you need to soak it overnight and then boil it in salt + turmeric powder water using a pressure cooker or Instant Pot (40 minutes on manual mode).
Drain and then use it. We don't need the water in this recipe but you can preserve it as stock. Remember to cook the chickpeas al dente. They should hold their shape and not be overcooked.
Like many Indian curries, you can store Tawa Chole in the refrigerator for two to three days or can be frozen for up to two months. You can reheat it in the microwave or on a stovetop over medium-high heat.
More chickpeas recipes
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Recipe 📖
Tawa Chole | Chickpea Stir Fry
Equipment
Ingredients
To prep the chickpeas
- 2 cans chickpeas
- 3 tablespoon chole masala spice mix
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon cumin powder
To prepare the curried chole
For garnish
- ½ onion finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon cilantro chopped
- 2 tablespoon Lime juice
Instructions
To prep the chickpeas
- Add cooked chickpeas to a mixing bowl.
- Then add paprika, garam masala, cumin powder, and salt.
- Add chole masala.
- Mix it all together and let it marinate for 20 minutes
To prepare the curried chole
- Then, heat oil in a skillet. Fry ajwain (carom seeds), half of the chopped cilantro, ginger and garlic. Saute till the raw smell disappears.
- Now add and saute onions till they turn translucent.
- Then add the tomatoes and salt. Cook till the tomatoes are done.
- Next, add the marinated chickpeas. Give it a good mix. Saute for another 2-3 minutes till all the masala is cooked. Take it off the flame.
For garnish
- Lastly, add chopped raw onions, lemon juice, and the remaining chopped cilantro for garnish. Chickpea Stir Fry is ready!
Century Foods says
Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe. I will try it at home, but I'm unsure if I can make it tasty.
Priya says
I am sure it will turn out great! Do give it a try. Thank you.
Nikhil says
Thanks for the recipe. By far the best chick peas I've ever made. I noticed that you omitted lemon juice from the recipe, any reason why? It added a lot of flavor.
Priya says
Thank you so much. So happy to hear that. I have mentioned lime juice/lemon juice as garnish.
Anita says
That looks amazingly delicious. Now I just have to hunt down some chole masala mix since that's the only thing I'm missing in my pantry. 🙂
Priya says
You can make it without it for now and once we are in better times, you can get it 🙂
Marlynn says
Chickpeas are one of our family's staples and I'm always looking for new ways to cook them. This dish is gorgeous and I can't wait to make it!
Priya says
do try it then..its very delicious. thank you
Carrie Robinson says
This sounds so flavorful! I love anything made with Indian spices. 🙂
Priya says
then do try this..its got so many flavors! You will love it
Jacqueline Meldrum says
These look amazing. I've never cooked chickpeas like this before, but they look so good. I can't wait to try your recipe. Bookmarking and sharing.
Priya says
so glad you liked it. 🙂 Thank you.
Farah Maizar says
I can smell this fragrance through my screen..mouthwatering! I love chickpeas and will have to try this!
Priya says
Yes, do try it.. it's very delicious. Thank you
Amee says
This is a great recipe! Would you be able to tell me the name of the Dhaba you visited. I would love to try it on my next visit. Thanks.
Priya says
I visited Pritam Dhaba. But you will find many dhabas on the highways of India. Try any of them..they are all good.
Elizabeth @ SugarHero.com says
Wow, this looks phenomenal! I love chickpea dishes, and can't wait to give this one a try!
Megan Marlowe says
I love chickpeas and this stir fry looks absolutely delicious! I cannot wait to try it!
Renee says
Loving the colors of this dish!! Sounds tasty!
Marilyn says
I love chickpeas!! I have baked, fried and cooked them. I love your recipes! It's always bold of flavors and so colorful!!
Molly Kumar says
Love chole and your pictures look so good. Nothing beats the combination of chole + poori. Thanks for sharing.
Elaine @ foodbod says
Gorgeous!