Kala Chana (Black Chickpeas Curry)

Kala chana recipe - a Gujarati style of black chickpeas curry made without onion, garlic. This makes a healthy, flavorful, vegetarian and protein-packed meal when served with plain rice or phulka roti.  

Kala chana is also known as desi chana and it is widely used in many Indian dishes e.g. chaat items like pani puri, dahi puri chaat, kala chana chaat and sundal (South Indian stir-fry), etc.

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• ❤️About This Recipe
• 🧾Ingredients
• 👩‍🍳Step By Step Photo Instructions 
• 💭Expert Tips
• 🍽 Serving Ideas
• 📋 Recipe Card
• ⭐ Reviews

❤️About This Recipe

Black chickpeas are low in fat, high in dietary fiber and rich in vitamins and minerals. These are indeed a healthy addition to one's diet. 

This is no onion no garlic recipe. Yet it tastes so delicious. 

To make it Jain recipe, please skip the ginger in the recipe.

It makes such a comforting vegetarian dinner when served with a simple bowl of rice or quinoa.

Perfect for weeknight dinners. Leftovers make next-day lunch. Such a timesaver!

🧾Ingredients

To make this kala chana recipe, you will need basic ingredients that are easily available in Indian pantry as well as in those people’s pantries who cook Indian food often. 

Tomatoes: Always use the ripe tomatoes. Unripe or raw tomatoes make the gravy sour. By any chance, if your tomatoes are slightly unripe then reduce or skip the amchur powder later in the recipe.

Besan (gram flour): It helps to thicken the gravy and also adds a nice nutty flavor to the curry.

👩‍🍳Step By Step Photo Instructions 

Preparation:

1) Take dry kala chan into the colander and wash under running cold water until water runs clear. Or rinse them 2-3 times until the water is not cloudy anymore. Then add enough water (2-3 inches above) for soaking.

2) Soak them for at least 8 hours or overnight. Then discard the soaking water.

3) Add soaked chana into the pressure cooker along with fresh water and boil until soft. If you press it between thumb and finger, it should mash easily. Drain the cooking water.
Stovetop pressure cooker: 2 whistles on High + 30 mins on med-low.
Instant pot: Manual (high pressure) 30 mins

4) Now take tomatoes, ginger and green chili, roughly chop them and add into the blender or grinder jar.

5) Make a smooth puree out of it.

Making Kala Chana Curry:

1) Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add cumin seeds and let them sizzle.

2) Then add besan and immediately stir it and cook for 1 minute. You will get a nutty toasted aroma of besan. Be careful, do not let the flour get burn.

3) Now add prepared tomato puree and mix well.

4) Add salt, red chili powder and coriander powder.

5) Mix well and let it simmer.

6) Keep cooking with stirring occasionally till all the moisture is evaporated and it becomes like a thick paste.

7) Then add amchur and garam masala. Mix well.

8) Add boiled chana and its water. If the water too much then don’t add all. Just enough to make a gravy consistency.

9) Mix and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Do stir in between.

10) Now turn off the stove and garnish with chopped cilantro.

💭Expert Tips

You can pressure cook the big batch and freeze the boiled chana in portions for later use. This way you can make the curry in a jiffy.

This gravy has slight sour (tangy) taste, as it has tomatoes and amchur both. If you are not a fan of this taste then skip the amchur and it works fine.

🍽 Serving Ideas

Serve this kala chana with roti or paratha. It can be served with plain rice or quinoa or millet. To make a complete meal, serve the kachumber salad, chaas and roasted papad on the side.

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📋 Recipe Card