Chef Ranveer Brar Tea Trick Gives Restaurant Style Dark Color to Chickpeas While Boiling Perfect Dhaba Taste at Home
Home cooked chickpeas often taste great but lack the rich dark color of restaurant style chole and Chef Ranveer Brar shares a simple tea bag trick that enhances color and presentation easily.
Chickpeas are one of those dishes that instantly become the highlight of any meal, whether served with puri or rice. The taste at home is often satisfying, but many people notice that the deep brown, restaurant style color is missing. Even when the flavor is right, the appearance does not match the rich and appetizing look of dhaba style chole.
According to Chef Ranveer Brar, the secret behind that perfect color is surprisingly simple and commonly used in restaurants and roadside eateries. Tea leaves play an important role here because they naturally contain tannins that help develop a deep brown shade in chickpeas while they cook. This small trick is what gives dhaba style chole their signature look.
Many home cooks try adding tea directly into the pot, but the result often falls short because the method is not quite right. The correct approach is to wrap tea leaves in a clean cotton cloth and place the bundle inside the pressure cooker while boiling the chickpeas. This allows the color to infuse evenly without affecting the taste.
Chef Ranveer Brar also suggests an additional step for a richer result. After boiling, keeping the tea pouch inside the cooked chickpeas for another 30 to 45 minutes helps deepen the color further. This resting time allows the chickpeas to absorb a more uniform and appealing shade similar to what you find in restaurants.
One important thing to remember is quantity. Using too much tea can make the dish slightly bitter, which can spoil the overall flavor. Generally, one to two teaspoons of tea leaves are enough depending on the quantity of chickpeas being cooked. This ensures the color improves without altering the taste.
Sometimes, chickpeas take longer to cook, especially if they are not soaked properly. A simple trick to speed things up is soaking them in hot boiling water for around 30 to 40 minutes. Adding a pinch of baking soda and a little salt while cooking can also help soften them faster in the pressure cooker.
With these small but effective kitchen tricks, home cooked chole can easily match the rich appearance of restaurant style dishes. A simple change in method can turn an ordinary meal into something that looks as delicious as it tastes.
