Kale chane ka shorba is a very delicious protein rich vegan Indian curry. You can enjoy it with rice or any Indian bread.
One of the most common questions which are thrown at vegetarians and vegans is – where do they get their protein from? I have seen a lot of people who are planning to start a vegan or vegetarian life, worrying about this and assuming that they will become weak after starting a plant-based diet.
When I decided to become a vegetarian, this was never my concern as I am aware that home-cooked vegetarian Indian meals are perfectly balanced. Our ancestors had planned it very effectively, creating a complete equilibrium of all the essential nutrients – protein, carbohydrate, fats, vitamins, and minerals. Eating such balanced meals and remaining physically active was the secret of their longevity.
There is an impressive gamut of protein-rich vegan and vegetarian dishes in Indian cuisine. Indians love eating daal (lentil) every day, at least once and daal chawal (lentil and rice) is almost every Indian’s comfort food. Other than lentils, there is a huge range of beans which we eat very frequently. Though there are a lot of other protein options like nuts, cottage cheese, etc which are an integral part of the Indian cuisine, the enormous range of lentils and beans is more than sufficient for our required protein intake.
Today I am sharing the recipe of one such protein-rich vegan curry which is one of my favorite Indian curries. The dish is kale chane ka shorba (whole Bengal gram with gravy). You can find kale chane in any Indian grocery store and they are easily available online too.
If you are also hunting for a protein-rich vegan/ vegetarian dish, make this recipe regularly. It’s not only healthy but super delicious. Trust me, you will never miss a spicy Indian chicken curry after having this.
You can have it with steamed rice, which is my favorite way of eating it, or can also serve it with roti/ paratha/ puri or can enjoy it as a bowl of comforting soup.
What goes in kala chana masala?
Step by step photo instructions
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Recipe
Kala chana- black chickpeas curry
Equipment
- Pressure cooker
- Cooking pot
- Food processor/ mixer
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried whole black Bengal gram (kala chana)
- 2 medium-sized red onions roughly chopped
- 2 medium-sized tomatoes roughly chopped
- 5-6 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 1 inch piece of ginger
- 1-2 green chili peppers adjust to taste
- A handful of chopped cilantro
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 3-4 black peppercorns
- 2-3 cloves
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 black cardamoms
- 1 small piece of cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ tablespoon coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala
- ½ tablespoon kasoori methi
- Salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon any cooking oil of choice
- 3 cups water
Instructions
- Wash and soak black chickpeas in water for around 7-8 hours or overnight.
- Put the soaked chickpeas, salt, and water in a pressure cooker. Cook on medium flame till 9-10 whistles of the cooker. The chickpeas should be cooked without losing their shape.
- Put roughly chopped onions, garlic, and ginger in the grinder and make a paste. Take out the paste in a bowl and keep it aside.
- In the same grinder, put roughly chopped tomatoes and green chilies and make another paste. Keep it aside too.
- Heat oil in a cooking pot and add bay leaf, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, cloves, black cardamom, and cumin seeds. Saute for a few seconds or until the spices become fragrant.
- Add onion paste to the pot and cook until it becomes golden brown. If the onion starts burning or sticking to the pot add 2-3 tablespoons of water and cook again. Repeat this until the onion paste becomes golden brown.
- Add coriander powder, red chili powder, and turmeric powder. Saute for around a minute.
- Next, add tomato paste and salt. Cook for around 8-10 minutes or until the tomatoes get nicely cooked.
- While the tomatoes are getting cooked, take around a ladle of cooked black chickpeas and put in the grinder with around 2-3 tablespoons of water. Make a paste.
- Once tomatoes are cooked, add boiled chickpeas along with the water in which they were cooked, and chickpeas paste to the pot. Add more water, if required to get the desired consistency. Cover the pot with a lid and cook for another 7-10 minutes.
- Add garam masala, crushed kasoori methi, and chopped cilantro. Mix and switch off the stove.
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