Kala chana masala, also known as black chickpea curry is a delicious protein-rich vegan curry made with whole Bengal grams cooked in a delicious onion-tomato gravy. If you are looking for ideas to add plant-based protein to your diet, this flavorful Indian curry is a great option for you.
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, carbohydrates, 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 dal (lentils) every day, at least once and dal chawal (lentils with rice) is almost every Indian’s comfort food.
Other than lentils, there is a huge range of beans that are eaten very frequently in India. The enormous range of lentils and beans is more than sufficient for the required protein intake.
Today I am sharing the recipe for one such protein-rich vegan Indian curry which is also one of my favorite Indian curries. The dish is kala chana curry or black chickpea curry (whole Bengal gram curry).
If you are also looking for a protein-rich vegan or vegetarian dish, try this recipe. It’s not only healthy but super delicious too. Trust me, you will never miss a spicy Indian chicken curry after having this.
Jump to:
- Regular white chickpeas (kabuli chana) Vs Black chickpeas (kala chana)
- Ingredients needed
- Ingredient notes and substitute suggestions
- How to make kala chana masala(Step by step instructions)?
- How to serve black chickpea curry?
- How to store?
- Can it be frozen?
- Recipe tips, tricks, and variation suggestions
- Frequently asked questions
- Other vegetarian Indian curry recipes
- Recipe
Regular white chickpeas (kabuli chana) Vs Black chickpeas (kala chana)
Both these types of chickpeas are regularly used in Indian kitchens. However, I have seen that for a lot of people from outside India, especially those who are not from South Asia, black chickpea is a very new ingredient.
The shape of black chickpeas is similar to regular white chickpeas but their taste and texture are different.
Black chickpeas also take more time to get cooked in comparison to white chickpeas.
Personally, I prefer the taste of black chickpeas.
Ingredients needed
To make this kala chana curry, you will need the ingredients shown below:
Ingredient notes and substitute suggestions
- Dried black chickpeas: Also sold by the name kala chana or whole Bengal gram, you can easily find them in Indian or any South Asian grocery stores. Though black chickpeas are called black they are dark brown in colour.
- Whole spices: I have added bay leaf, black cardamom, black peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon stick, and cumin seeds. You can add or skip 1-2 spices as per availability.
- Coriander powder: It's the ground form of dried coriander seeds and is used as a spice in Indian recipes. You can also add around ½ a teaspoon of cumin powder to this curry.
- Kasoori methi: Kasoori methi is dried fenugreek leaves. This ingredient is used as a spice and gives Indian dishes a very nice smoky flavor.
- Garam masala: It's a flavorful blend of Indian spices with a very strong aroma and taste. Use it in moderation.
- Red chilli powder: Choose a variety depending on how hot you want your curry to be. I prefer using Kashmiri red chili powder as it's not very spicy but gives a beautiful color to the dish. If you prefer a spicy curry, use a hotter variety of red chilli powder.
- Cooking oil: For North Indian cooking, I prefer using mustard oil but you can also use vegetable oil, olive oil, canola oil, or any other cooking oil of choice. If using mustard oil, first heat it till it reaches the smoking point then turn off the heat. Allow the oil to reach a more manageable temperature before adding the spices.
The quantity of ingredients used is shared in the recipe card, further in the post.
How to make kala chana masala(Step by step instructions)?
To make black chana masala, follow the easy step-by-step instructions given below:
Step 1: Wash black chickpeas and soak them in water overnight or for at least 7 hours.
Step 2: Put the soaked chickpeas in a pressure cooker along with 3 cups of water and salt.
Step 3: Put on the lid of the pressure cooker and cook on medium heat till 9-10 whistles of the cooker.
Step 4: Transfer a ladle full of cooked black chickpeas to a grinding jar. Make a smooth paste of chickpeas, take it out in a bowl, and keep the paste aside.
Step 5: In the same grinding jar, put roughly chopped onions, garlic, and ginger. Make a paste, transfer it to a bowl, and keep it aside.
Step 6: Make a separate paste of tomatoes and green chilies. Keep it aside too.
Step 7: Heat oil in a cooking pot. Add bay leaf, cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, black peppercorns, and cloves. Saute until the spices become fragrant.
Step 8: Add onion paste.
Step 9: Cook until the onion paste becomes brown.
Step 10: Add coriander powder, turmeric powder, and red chili powder. Saute for a minute.
Step 11: Add tomato paste and salt.
Step 12: Cook for 8-10 minutes or until the tomatoes are nicely cooked and change color to a brighter red.
Step 13: Put cooked black chickpeas along with the water in which they were cooked into the cooking pot.
Step 14: Add chickpea paste.
Step 15: Add more water, if required to get the desired consistency. Cover the pot and cook on medium heat for 7-10 minutes.
Step 16: Add crushed kasoori methi, garam masala, and chopped cilantro. Mix everything and switch off the stove.
Your delicious protein-rich kala chana masala is ready to be served!
How to serve black chickpea curry?
Serve this black chickpea masala hot with rice or any Indian flatbread like roti, paratha, or naan.
I love eating this curry with plain steamed basmati rice but you can also serve it with other rice dishes like jeera rice, vegetable rice, tomato rice, curried rice with vegetables, and cabbage rice.
A bowl of this hearty curry can also be enjoyed as a flavourful soup.
How to store?
To store, transfer black chickpea curry to an airtight container and refrigerate. It will be fine for 3-4 days.
Can it be frozen?
Yes, you can freeze black chana masala in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months.
To reheat, thaw it first and then either microwave for a few minutes until evenly heated or just transfer it to a pan, add some boiling water, cover the pan, and cook until the curry starts boiling. Check and adjust the seasoning, if required.
Recipe tips, tricks, and variation suggestions
- You may also add other varieties of beans to this curry to make it more delicious and nutritious.
- Black chana takes a longer time to get cooked than other beans and doesn't lose its shape easily so cook it for at least 9-10 whistles on medium heat.
- Mashed black chickpeas are added to make the curry thicker. If you want you can also add around one ladle of finely mashed potatoes or roasted chickpea flour (besan) to thicken the gravy. But that will slightly change the taste of the curry.
- To fasten the process of soaking chana, soak them in hot water.
- The time required to cook black chickpeas will vary depending upon different factors like the quality of the chickpeas, the capacity of the pressure cooker, and the altitude of the place where you are cooking them.
- For best results, always use fresh spice powders in your recipes. To increase the freshness of spices store them in airtight containers and keep in the freezer. They will remain fresh for a year. You can also slightly pan-roast them to increase their shelf life. Roast the spices carefully and on low heat as they get burned very quickly.
- If you don't want whole spices in your curry, tie the spices in a small muslin cloth and then add them to the cooking pot. Removing them from the curry will become easier if you do this.
- If you have ginger garlic paste, you can use that instead of adding fresh ginger and garlic to the grinder while making onion paste.
- You can add some finely chopped ginger and fresh lime or lemon juice to the curry after turning off the heat. It makes the curry taste even better.
- I have made this curry in North Indian style. If you want to make a South Indian black chickpea curry, use black mustard seeds, curry leaves, and asafoetida to temper the curry.
Frequently asked questions
Cooking kala chana without a pressure cooker is not impossible but a very time-consuming process. It will take around 2 hours to cook soaked black chickpeas in a regular cooking pot.
You can also use an instant pot (electric pressure cooker) to cook them if you don't have a stovetop pressure cooker.
No, they are completely different beans.
Yes, you can replace black chickpeas with any other beans in this recipe. Please make sure to alter the beans cooking time depending on the type of beans you are using.
Other vegetarian Indian curry recipes
If you enjoyed this kala chana masala recipe and are looking for more easy vegetarian Indian curry recipes then don't miss to check the following links:
If you liked this recipe, please leave a star rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in the recipe card below. You can also follow me on Instagram, Youtube, and Pinterest.
Recipe
Kala chana- black chickpeas curry
Equipment
- Cooking pot
- Food processor/ mixer
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried whole black Bengal gram (kala chana)
- 2 medium red onions roughly chopped
- 2 medium tomatoes roughly chopped
- 5-6 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 1 inch piece of ginger roughly chopped
- 1-2 green chilies 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 teaspoon red chili powder adjust to taste
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ tablespoon coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon kasoori methi
- Salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon any cooking oil of choice
- 3 cups water or as required to get the desired consistency
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. Put on the lid of the pressure cooker. Cook on medium heat till 9-10 whistles of the cooker. The chickpeas should be cooked without losing their shape. Allow the pressure to get released naturally.
- 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, 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 turns golden brown. If the onion starts 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 a ladle full of cooked black chickpeas and put them in the grinder with around 2-3 tablespoons of water. Make a paste.
- Once the tomatoes are cooked, add boiled chickpeas along with the water in which they were cooked. Also, add 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. Serve hot.
Video
Notes
- You may also add other varieties of beans to this curry to make it more delicious and nutritious.
- Black chana takes a longer time to get cooked than other beans and doesn't lose its shape easily so cook it for at least 9-10 whistles on medium heat.
- Mashed black chickpeas are added to make the curry thicker. If you want you can also add around one ladle of finely mashed potatoes or roasted chickpea flour (besan) to thicken the gravy. But that will slightly change the taste of the curry.
- To fasten the process of soaking chana, soak them in hot water.
- The time required to cook black chickpeas will vary depending upon different factors like the quality of the chickpeas, the capacity of the pressure cooker, and the altitude of the place where you are cooking them.
- For best results, always use fresh spice powders in your recipes. To increase the freshness of spices store them in airtight containers and keep in the freezer. They will remain fresh for a year. You can also slightly pan-roast them to increase their shelf life. Roast the spices carefully and on low heat as they get burned very quickly.
- If you don't want whole spices in your curry, tie the spices in a small muslin cloth and then add them to the cooking pot. Removing them from the curry will become easier if you do this.
- If you have ginger garlic paste, you can use that instead of adding fresh ginger and garlic to the grinder while making onion paste.
- You can add some finely chopped ginger and fresh lime or lemon juice to the curry after turning off the heat. It makes the curry taste even better.
- I have made this curry in North Indian style. If you want to make a South Indian black chickpea curry, use black mustard seeds, curry leaves, and asafoetida to temper the curry.
- More recipe tips and tricks are shared in the post above, please follow them to make this curry.
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