Safed Chana and Cholay Recipe: Soaking With or Without Soda
Soda or no soda? That question starts arguments in more Pakistani kitchens than any other about safed chana. The short answer: a small pinch helps hard chana soften, too much makes cholay taste soapy. Here’s how to soak kabuli chana both ways, how long it really takes to cook, and a Lahori-style cholay recipe with every amount written down.
Soaking safed chana, with or without soda
Kabuli chana are big, cream-coloured chickpeas. They need a long soak. In a hot kitchen they’ll roughly double overnight and can begin to ferment if left too long, so plan for 8 to 12 hours.
Without soda (the default)
- Pick through 1 cup (about 200 g) dry safed chana. Remove stones and discoloured grains.
- Wash well, changing the water 3 times.
- Cover with 4 cups water (the chana will absorb a lot) and soak 8 to 12 hours. In summer, soak in the fridge, or swap in fresh water after 6 hours.
- Drain, discard the water, rinse.
With soda (for old or stubborn chana)
Baking soda (meetha soda) makes the water slightly alkaline, which softens the skins and speeds cooking. It’s useful for old stock or hard water. The trade-off: it can reduce some B vitamins, notably thiamine, and too much gives a soapy, bitter taste and a mushy texture.
- For 1 cup dry chana in 4 cups soaking water, add no more than 1/4 tsp baking soda. Stir to dissolve.
- Soak 8 to 10 hours.
- Pour off the soaking water and rinse very well in 2 changes of water before cooking. Don’t cook in the soda water.
- Don’t add more soda to the cooker as well. One pinch at the soak is plenty.
If your chana is fresh and your water isn’t very hard, skip the soda. You’ll barely notice the difference in cooking time.
Cooking times at a glance
- Pressure cooker, soaked: first whistle on high, then 20 to 25 minutes on low
- Pressure cooker, soaked with soda: first whistle, then 12 to 15 minutes on low
- Stovetop, soaked: 1.5 to 2 hours at a simmer
- Yield: 1 cup dry makes about 2.5 cups cooked
- Canned: already cooked, just rinse
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How to cook kabuli chana so they’re soft all the way through
- Put the soaked, rinsed chana in the cooker with 3 cups fresh water and 1 tsp salt.
- For dark dhaba-style colour, add 1 plain black tea bag (or 1 tsp loose black tea tied in muslin), 1 black cardamom and 1 small tez patta.
- Close, cook on high until the first whistle, then lower the heat for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Leave the cooker to lose pressure on its own. Opening early makes the skins burst.
- Remove the tea bag and whole spices. Squeeze a chana: it should mash smoothly between thumb and finger, creamy inside with no chalky core.
Chana that are still hard after this almost always come down to old stock or an acid in the pot. Add another 10 minutes on low. Salt doesn’t stop chana softening, despite the rumour. Tomato and imli do slow it, so keep them for the masala.
Cholay recipe with exact amounts
Serves 4 to 5 with puri, naan or chawal. This is a thick, tangy Punjabi style using the cooked chana above.
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Cooked kabuli chana | 2.5 cups (from 1 cup dry) plus 1.5 cups cooking water |
| Oil or ghee | 3 tbsp |
| Onions | 2 medium, finely chopped |
| Tomatoes | 2 medium, chopped |
| Ginger garlic paste | 1 tbsp |
| Lal mirch powder | 1 tsp |
| Haldi | 1/4 tsp |
| Dhania powder | 2 tsp |
| Zeera powder, roasted | 1 tsp |
| Anardana powder or amchur | 1 tsp |
| Garam masala | 1/2 tsp |
| Salt | to taste, about 1/2 tsp more |
- Heat the oil in a heavy pot. Add the onions and fry on medium for 10 to 12 minutes until deep golden brown. Don’t rush this. The colour of the onions is the colour of the gravy.
- Add the ginger garlic paste and fry 1 minute until the raw smell goes.
- Add the tomatoes, lal mirch, haldi and dhania. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, mashing, until the oil rises to the surface.
- Add the cooked chana and 1.5 cups of their cooking water. Bring to a boil.
- Mash about 1/4 cup of chana against the side of the pot to thicken the gravy. Simmer uncovered 15 minutes.
- Stir in the zeera powder, anardana powder and garam masala. Simmer 5 more minutes.
- Finish with sliced onion, green chilli, julienned ginger and hara dhania.
Tip from the tandoor shop
Heat 1 tbsp ghee until very hot, add 1/2 tsp lal mirch off the heat (it burns in seconds) and pour it over the finished cholay just before serving. The red ghee on top is what makes a plate look like it came from Gawalmandi.
Hakeems traditionally described chickpeas as warm in temperament and nourishing, but gassy, and advised eating them with ginger, zeera or black pepper and not drinking a lot of cold water straight after. Cooks followed that instinct with anardana, zeera and adrak in every cholay. Take it as kitchen tradition rather than medicine.
Canned chana vs dried
Canned chickpeas are fully cooked and perfectly usable. Drain and rinse them, which removes a good share of the added salt, then use about 2 standard cans (roughly 480 g drained) in place of the 2.5 cups cooked chana above, with water instead of cooking liquid. Cooking from dry costs less, gives you control over salt, and the chana taste nuttier. Canned is a good backup on a busy day.
Too much soda: more than a pinch changes taste and texture and adds sodium. People told to limit salt for blood pressure or heart or kidney conditions should skip soda, rinse canned chana well and go easy on salt and packet chana masala.
Diabetes: cholay with puri or bhatura is a heavy carbohydrate meal. Pair cholay with salad and a single roti instead, and stick to the plan your own care team gave you.
Kidney disease: chickpeas contain potassium and phosphorus. Your dietitian can set a portion.
Small children: whole chickpeas are a choking risk for under-5s. Mash them.
Allergy: chickpea allergy exists and can overlap with peanut or lentil allergy. Swelling, hives or wheezing after eating means stop and seek help; trouble breathing means emergency care.
Leftovers: cool cooked chana quickly and refrigerate within 2 hours. Sour smell or slimy texture means discard.
Storing cooked chana and cholay
Cooked plain chana keep 3 days in a covered container in the fridge, or 2 to 3 months frozen in their cooking water. Cholay keep 2 days in the fridge and reheat well with a splash of water. Freeze cholay without the fresh onion and dhania topping.
Want the smaller desi chickpea instead? See our kala chana guide. Raw beans need more care than chickpeas, and our rajma safety guide explains why. More staples live under Desi Remedies.
Common questions
How much baking soda to soak chickpeas?
No more than 1/4 tsp for 1 cup dry chana in 4 cups water. Rinse well before cooking.
Why are my chickpeas still hard after pressure cooking?
Usually old stock, very hard water or too short a soak. Cook another 10 minutes on low and next time try a pinch of soda in the soak.
How many whistles for kabuli chana?
For soaked chana, first whistle on high, then 20 to 25 minutes on low. Roughly 5 to 6 whistles on many cookers.
Why add a tea bag to cholay?
Only for colour. It gives the dark brown dhaba look. It doesn’t change flavour much and can be skipped.
Can I soak chana for 24 hours?
It isn’t needed and in warm weather the water can start to ferment. If you must, soak in the fridge and change the water.
Are canned chickpeas as good as dried?
They’re a convenient, safe option. Rinse them to cut salt. Dried chana cost less and taste a little better.