Kala chana/ black chickpeas curry recipe

anubhav mahajan

Boiled black chickpeas (kala chana) simmered in aromatic onion tomato gravy, to make a perfect healthy meal with rice or roti.

5 from 5 votes

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 30

Total Time 5 30

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian, north indian, punjabi

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

For boiling the chickpeas

1 cup black chickpeas soaked overnight or 5-6 hrs in enough water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp mustard oil

Tempering

2 tbsp ghee / or any oil of your preference
1/8 tsp hing (asafoetida powder)
1 medium onion
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 inch slice of ginger grated/crushed- Can use ginger garlic paste instead
4-5 cloves garlic grated/crushed- Can use ginger garlic paste instead
2 medium tomatoes pureed
2-3 green chillies chopped/ slit
1 tsp kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves) hand crushed
salt as per your taste
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp degi mirchi powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder

Instructions

Add the soaked black chickpeas(soaked overnight or for minimum of 5-6 hrs) in a pressure cooker with a little salt .
Add a tsp of mustard oil . This imparts a really nice flavour to this curry. This is optional and you can skip adding oil.
Pressure cook for about 20-25 minutes on medium heat.
Open the pressure cooker and check for doneness. The chickpeas should be soft and you should be able to crush them with two fingers.

Tempering

In a mixer grind onions and cumin seeds together to make paste.This paste need not be very smooth.Keep aside.
In a pan heat ghee, and add hing powder (asofaetida).
Add ginger garlic paste , or crushed / grated ginger and garlic. Saute till the raw aroma goes away, and it turns golden in colour.
Add onion, cumin seeds paste. Sauté these till the paste changes colour and starts turning light brown, and it starts leaving oil on side.
Add pureed tomatoes.
Sauté these ,till the tomatoes are completely cooked, and start leaving oil on sides.
Once cooked add the dry spices- salt, red chilli powder, degi mirchi powder, turmeric powder,coriander powder, garam masala powder.Mix well.
Add crushed kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
Add green chillies (whole / sliced or chopped) .
Once the tempering is ready, add the boiled chickpeas to the tempering( or add tempering to boiled chickpeas), and stir well.
Let the chickpea curry simmer, and again pressure cook it for one whistle.
Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly.
Serve it with rice, naan, or fresh roti, and salad. It will be one hearty healthy meal, your family will enjoy.

Notes

I add a tsp of mustard oil while boiling, as it really imparts a really nice flavour to this curry. This is optional and you can even skip adding oil.

In this recipe I use ghee, but to make this vegan replace ghee with any plant based oil.

Some of you have asked me for the rice recipe as well. It is quick and simple so just adding the rice recipe here for easy reference-

Heat a tsp of oil / ghee in a pan. Add cumin seeds. Let it splutter. Add slices onions (1 onion). Cook it for a few minutes till it is transparent (do not brown). Add 2 cups of water (Water should be double the amount of rice- for 1 cup rice add 2 cups water). Add a little salt, black pepper , and red chilli powder. Mix well. Add washed and rinsed rice (i used Basmati rice). Give it a good mix. Cover and let it cook for 7-8 minutes, till rice is almost done (Do not be tempted to mix it while it is cooking. Let it just sit and cook on its own). Take off the heat. Keep it covered for another 8-10 minutes, and it is ready to be served.

Keyword black chickpeas, chickpeas,kale chane