Kala chana- black chickpeas curry

kala chana masala served in a bowl with rice and salad.

Kala chana- black chickpeas curry

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.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian, North Indian

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 50

Soaking time 7

Total Time 8

Servings

Calories 195kcal

Author Vandana Chauhan

Equipment

Pressure cooker
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.

Nutrition