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Aloo Chole Biryani is a wholesome, high protein, flavourful Punjabi dish! Made with potatoes, chickpeas, rice and classic Indian spices.
I know chickpeas are a staple for many vegans (including myself), and with another lockdown starting today there’s no excuse not to give this recipe a try! This recipe may seem hard as the ingrediant list is long but I’ll guide you through the steps, and show you how easy my Aloo Chole Biryani recipe is. I’m also going to give you an alternative to the anardana powder below, so don’t worry if you don’t have it on hand!
What is Aloo Chole Biryani?
Chole is a delicious Punjabi curry, made with chickpeas. Chickpeas are high in protein, versatile and, a pantry staple for us vegans. Here I’ve turned it into a Biryani, and also added in one of my favourite vegetables…potatoes! This makes the recipe incredibly comforting and perfect for those colder, darker autumn/winter nights.
What is 75% cooked rice?
It’s extremely important when making Biryani that you don’t allow the rice to cook fully. So, what does 75% cooked rice mean? Cook the rice until it’s nearly done, the rice should still have a slight bite to it! This allows the rice to finish cooking when it’s baking.
How to cook the potatoes?
There are 2 ways you can cook the potatoes, you can either steam them or boil them. Steaming is my preferred method as it’s quicker and easier!
To boil – place the washed potatoes (with the skin on) in some cold water and boil until cooked, but still firm. Drain the water, then allow to cool slightly. Once cooled, peel the skin off and then cut it into chunks.
To steam – wash, peel and chop the potatoes into chunks and place into a steamer basket for 8-12 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked.
What if I don’t have anardana powder?
Okay, so the anardana powder (aka pomegranate powder) adds a tang to the dish, so if you don’t have it just switch it for lime/lemon juice! Make sure you add the lemon juice in small amounts and after adding the kasuri methi.
Biryani Toppings
The Biryani toppings I chose were caramlised onions and coriander. You could even add some thinly sliced lemons on top too! Adding these toppings helps ensure the rice at the top doesn’t become too crispy. And let’s be honest, it makes the dish look more appealing too!
How to store this delicious chickpea and potato Biryani?
Place into an air-tight container and into the fridge. To reheat this dish just pop it into the mircrowave for a few minutes and make sure you finish it within 3 days!
More Indian Vegan Recipes:
Ingredients
Aloo Chole
- 2 tbsp oil
- 3 medium onions (sliced)
- 2 x 400g canned chickpeas
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 1 tbsp grated garlic
- 3–4 green chillies (chopped (or less depending how spicy your chillies are))
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 cloves
- 3 bay leaves
- 4 black peppercorns
- 1 cup tinned tomatoes (pureed)
- 300–350 ml water
- 1 tbsp coriander powder
- 1 tbsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1/2 tbsp pink salt
- 1/4 cup vegan yogurt
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp kasuri methi
- 2 tbsp anardana powder (pomegranate powder)
Potatoes
- 1 tbsp oil
- 3–4 boiled or steamed potatoes (660g)
- pinch of salt
Rice
- 1 1/2 cups rice (washed and soaked for 15 minutes)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 cloves
- lemon or lime wedge
Topping
- coriander leaves
- caramelised onions (optional)
Instructions
Rice
- Wash the rice a couple of times, then soak in some water for 15 minutes. Pour the rice and water into a deep pot along with all the spices, lemon wedge and add around 6 cups of more water. Cook rice until its 3/4 cooked, it should have a slight bite to it. Then drain the rice, and scatter over a baking dish and allow to cool.
Crispy Aloo (Potatoes)
- Heat oil in a pan, add the potatoes and a sprinkle of salt. Cook until the potatoes become crispy! Transfer potatoes into a bowl. (So you can use the same pan for the chole curry).
Chole Curry
- In the same pan, heat oil then add onions and sauté until they're caramelised.
- Add cinnamon stick, cloves, bay leaves. peppercorns, green chillies and sauté for a few seconds.
- Add grated ginger and garlic and cook for 30-40 seconds. Stirring often.
- Add the pureed tomato and add all the ground spices. Cook for 5-7 minutes.
- Add water and (drained) chickpeas, bring the curry to a boil. Then cover the pan with a lid and simmer for 5-7 minutes.
- Mix in the vegan yogurt, then the kasuri methi by rubbing it between your fingertips/hands.
Biryani Assembly
- Preheat the oven to 180C / 160C fan.
- Once the rice and curry are cooked, layer them in a big enough dish.
- Layer the biryani. Curry – rice – coriander – curry – potatoes – rice – coriander- curry- potatoes – rice, then some caramelised onions and coriander.
- Cover with foil and bake for 35 – 45 minutes. Or until the Biryani is hot and the rice has cooked.
- Allow to cool slightly and enjoy with some vegan yogurt!
Nutrition
- Calories: 428
