Kala chana recipe - a Gujarati style of black chickpeas curry made without onion, garlic. This makes a healthy, protein-packed meal when served with plain rice or phulka roti.
2tablespoonsCilantro or coriander leaveschopped finely
Instructions
Soaking, Boiling Kala Chana:
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) and soak them for at least 8 hours or overnight. Then discard the soaking water.
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
Making Kala Chana Curry
Make a puree from tomatoes, ginger and green chili.
Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add cumin seeds and let them sizzle.
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.
Now add prepared tomato puree and mix well.
Add salt, red chili powder and coriander powder. Mix well and let it simmer.
Keep cooking with stirring occasionally till all the moisture is evaporated and it becomes like a thick paste.
Then add amchur and garam masala. Mix well.
Add boiled chana and its water. If the water too much then don’t add all. Just enough to make a gravy consistency.
Mix and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Do stir in between.
Now turn off the stove and garnish with chopped cilantro.
Notes
Forgot to soak the kala chana? Here is the ‘Quick Soaking Method: take washed kala chana in a pan, add plenty of water. Bring to a boil and let it boil for 5 minutes. Then turn off the stove. Cover with lid and let it rest for 1 hour. After 1 hour discard the water and use the chana to pressure cook.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.