kala chana means black chickpeas and it is one of the most underrated ingredients in the pantry. This curry is quite similar to kabuli chana or white chickpeas except that it is made using Tyson chickpeas/ desi chana/ black butte chickpeas. This variety has a dark brown or black coat but a white seed inside. It is a great variation and full of protein.
PS: If you want to eat brown rice and simply cannot, recipe of kala chana is just perfect! You can also pair it with green moong, chickpeas, Sindhi kadhi or rajma.
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Equipment
- pressure cooker or Instant pot.
- Pan/pot for cooking the curries.
Ingredients
- Boiled black chickpeas
In case of using dry black chickpeas - Soak kaale chane overnight or at least for 4 hours in tap water /or for 2 hours in hot water. They swell and double in the size, post soaking.
In case you want to use canned chickpeas- If you want you can also use canned chickpeas for this curry. Just drain the liquid and give it a rinse in water optionally, if you want to avoid extra sodium in it.
Pressure cook the chickpeas with 3-4 cups of water and bit of salt for 2-3 whistles or in a covered pot, until soft.
You may use stovetop pressure cooker to get your boiled kala chana. For instant pot kala chana, I would recommend to cook on high of 15 minutes. Release the steam after 15 minutes. This would change a bit based on the quality chickpeas you are using.
Other ingredients are
- Onions ,diced
- Tomato ,puree/diced tomatoes
- Ginger garlic paste
- Curry powder
- Red chilli powder / paprika
- Garam masala
- Salt as per taste
- Hot water
- Oil ( coconut oil/ vegetable oil/ sunflower oil)
- Potato (optional)
kala chana masala recipe | black chickpeas curry recipe
Equipment
- pressure cooker
- pan / pot
Ingredients
- 2-3 tablespoon oil
- 2 medium onions diced
- 1 cup pureed tomatoes / diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- ½ tablespoon garam masala or adjust as per taste
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- ½ tablespoon red chilli powder or paprika powder adjust as per taste
- 2 medium potatoes cubed,optional
- 3 cups Boiled black chickpeas /boiled kala chana (refer notes for dried chickpeas)
- 2 cups hot water
- Salt as per taste
Instructions
- In a pan or a pot, heat oil. Add onion with some salt and sauté on low/medium heat until dark brown. (If you prefer the dark gravy cook as brown as possible.) Add ginger, garlic once onions are cooked.
- Add the crushed/pureed tomatoes with little salt.(I have just blended fresh tomatoes here.)
- Continue cooking with little salt, once tomatoes have cooked. Add the spices.
- Continue cooking until the masala has mixed well. You will get a divine aroma which makes you fall in love instantly! 🙂
- Add the potato pieces and mix well.
- Now, add 2 cups of hot water along with soaked chickpeas. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes.
- Serve hot with rice/bread.
Notes
Nutrition
Related recipes
How to cook vegan black chickpeas recipe?
In a pan or a pot, heat oil. Add onion with some salt and sauté on low/medium heat until brown.
- Cook until the onions turn brown. Add ginger garlic paste or finely chopped.
- Add the tomato puree with little salt. Mix well.
- Continue cooking with little salt, once tomatoes have cooked. Add the spices.
- Continue cooking until the masala has mixed well.
- Add the potato pieces and mix well.
- Now, add 2 cups water along with soaked black chickpeas. Cover and cook kala chana for 10-15 minutes.
- Serve kale channe hot with rice/bread.
Substitutions
You can also make it vegetarian by adding some ghee or butter in the end. That is strictly optional. Some people even add some paneer, to make chola paneer. If you do not get paneer locally, you may even use halloumi. You may also add chopped spinach if you like to make a variation of saag channa. You can add some dried fenugreek leaves if handy before you switch off the curry. This will increase the iron content in the recipe.
Variations
You can also make kale chane recipe without onions and garlic. Just with some tomato paste. If you like it spicy, add more red chili powder or increase the green chilies in the recipe. If you like it milder, you may use Kashmiri red chilli powder or paprika. Adjust salt according to your taste. You can even add some garam masala, amchur and teaspoon cumin powder to the recipe if you have it handy. If you do not have amchur, adding a dash of lemon juice before you serve helps increase the taste and acidity. Vitamin C also helps absorb the iron.
If you forgot to soak chickpeas overnight, soak them for an hour or two in hot water. You can also try using canned chickpeas for this recipe. You can also boil black chana, a day earlier and make a quick curry for lunch, using our authentic curry sauce recipe.
Storage
You can store Punjabi kala chana recipe for 1-2 days in the refrigerator. It tastes even yummier the next day.
FAQs
atleast 2-4 hrs
If you press a chickpea, it should be soft and mushy.
They have higher fiber and iron but almost similar protein & carbohydrate.
You can use boiled kala chana in soups, salads and to make hummus. It also makes a great appetizer chana jor garam which can be fried or made in an air fryer. Another variation of this curry is the dry kala chana or sukha kala chana. It is traditionally served in ashtami prasad along with sooji halwa and poori during navratri. You may even add some coconut and curry leaves to make a south Indian style kadala curry. Serve it with appam or puttu Kerala style for a hearty Sunday brunch.
Good for heart
Great source of protein and iron
Eating boiled kala chana helps in weight loss as it keeps you full for long.
Lowers cholesterol
Helps prevent diabetes and maintain blood sugar as it digests slowly.
What's a good cheap easy side dish to serve with chana masala besides rice and naan?
You can serve kala chana with many other dishes as a chaat or Indian street food.
- Baked samosa
- Aloo tikki
- wholewheat tandoori roti(No tandoor no problem!)
- Buns
- Salad - add onion tomato, chopped coriander leaves and lemon juice.
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