Cholia Chawal is an easy pulao made with fresh green chickpea or chana. The rice can be quickly done with simple spices and makes a wonderful lunch box dish.
Cholia or Fresh Chana is available only during the winter season in Northern states. I haven’t seen these fresh green ones in our place. We do get fresh Toor dal and almost all of the other legumes and lentils except for this. I remember getting a pack of this fresh Chickpea during our 75th BM Meet in Delhi.
Would you believe if I said that I was so crazy to think that I will save it for the right dish for me to try! That packet was slashed in the freezer all this while. I was almost sure I would use it for this rice. However, when Vaishali said she was visiting Madras, I kindly requested her to get me a packet of it.
Finally, after many years of planning something with the fresh chana, I decided to make this pulao which is really simple and doesn’t require much work. I made this for Konda’s lunch pack and I also carried it for my lunch. I seriously regret not making it for everybody. The rice came out too good and everybody wanted to have a second helping.
As with all themes in the AtoZ series, we do get the liberty of playing with the words of the ingredients. I was lucky that I didn’t resort to any adjectives or anything else. Cholia is a chickpea and this is with the fresh Indian version of chickpea.
Cholia Chawal is for C in the AtoZ Quick Under 30 Minutes, which is my theme in the Biryanis, Pulaos, Khichdi, and Mixed Rice, where I am doing Quick Under 30 Minutes Meals. If you want to read some elaborate Biryanis, check out what I have for C in Spice your Life!
A to Z Quick Under 30 Minutes Meals
A for Achari Chana Vegetable Pulao
B for Bhuga Chawara
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Step By Step Pictures for making Cholia Chawal
Cholia Chawal | How to make Green Chana Pulao
Ingredients Needed:
1 cup Basmati Rice
1 to 2 Bay Leaf
1/2 cup Onions
1/4 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
2 Green Chili
1 Big Tomato
1/2 cup Green Chana
1/4 tsp Garam Masala
1/2 tsp Red Chili Powder
A Pinch Turmeric Powder
Salt to taste
2 cups of water
1.5 tsp Ghee
1 tsp Cooking Oil
Method
Wash and soak the rice for 15 mins.
Heat a pressure cooker with ghee and oil.
Add the bay leaf, onions juliennes, chopped green chilis, and sauté till pink.
Next, ginger garlic paste and combine well.
Now add chopped tomatoes and cook till mushy.
Wash and add the drained green chana.
When the mix becomes dry, add spice powders including salt.
Drain the water from the rice, add to the pan, roast for a few minutes.
Add water and cook till done.
Fluff and serve with raitha.
Cholia Chawal | How to make Green Chana Pulao
Ingredients
- 1 cup Basmati Rice
- 1 to 2 Bay Leaf
- 1/2 cup Onions
- 1/4 tsp Ginger Garlic paste
- 2 Green Chili
- 1 Big Tomato
- 1/2 cup Green Chana
- 1/4 tsp Garam Masala
- 1/2 tsp Red Chili powder
- A Pinch Turmeric powder
- Salt to taste
- 2 cups Water
- 1.5 tsp Ghee
- 1 tsp Cooking Oil
Instructions
- Wash and soak the rice for 15 mins.
- Heat a pressure cooker with ghee and oil.
- Add the bay leaf, onions juliennes, chopped green chilis and sauté till pink.
- Next, ginger garlic paste and combine well.
- Now add chopped tomatoes and cook till mushy.
- Wash and add the drained green chana.
- When the mix becomes dry, add spice powders including salt.
- Drain the water from rice, add to the pan, roast for a few minutes.
- Add water and cook till done.
- Fluff and serve with raitha.
The entire collection of "Biryani / Pulao / Khichadi" Festival - A to Z Biryani / Pulao / Khichadi on SYL & A to Z Quick 30 Minutes Meals on C4AS
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Suma Gandlur says
I get them locally and know that fresh tender chickpeas are really a treat. They must have made this chawal yummy.
Vaishali Sabnani says
Cholia is the typical word for these fresh green chickpeas , and I can see you have made the rice perfectly . This is one of the yummiest rice in winters . The rice looks awesome .
Sharmila Kingsly says
I have never see fresh channa... That is really a good rice with fresh channa.. I can relate how you would treated it like a precious gem 🙂
Gayathri Kumar says
We don't get this here, but I think it is available in Karnataka. Usually they eat them as such, but using it in pulao is just brilliant. The rice looks so yum.
Sowmya says
I remember scrambling for this cholia during our BM75 meet. So glad you came up with this beautiful dish. Wish I could get some of those in Bangalore. Would love to try this!!
harini says
I usually get the frozen cholia and make sabji. Making pulao also is a great idea. Sounds flavorful
Sushma Pinjala says
Cholia pulao looks delicious. We get frozen cholia here, will try sometime.
Srividhya Gopalakrishnan says
That's so nice of Vaishali to get it for you. I do get the frozen ones here but nothing comes like fresh ones. Great pick for C valli.
Pavani says
Cholia chawal Pulao looks delicious and interesting. Never have tried it before but I have bookmarked your recipe! Thank you for sharing!
Preeti says
I never used cholia in any recipe.. thNks for sharing . Looking so tasty and healthy.
Renu says
By fresh choliya, I think you mean green harbara which we get in Maharashtra. A rice with choliya would be such protein rich dish
Swati says
I love hare choliya.. the pulao has made me nostalgic as we used to have it when fresh choliya were available in markets.. You are right, everyone wants a second helping of this.. Looks so tempting.. hope I get these here!!
Kalyani says
I make this during the winters, and both the green and brown chickpeas add so much flavour. perfect for lunch box so I am sure your girls liked it too !