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Chickpea curry with phulka roti on a plate.
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Indian Chickpea Curry Recipe

This delicious and authentic Indian Chickpea Curry Recipe, also known as channa masala, is vegetarian comfort food at its best.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 45 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: Chana Curry, Chana Masala, Chickpea Curry, Indian Chickpea Curry
Servings: 12 or more, it makes lots!
Author: Jennifer Pallian BSc, RD

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ lbs dry chickpeas soaked
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • ⅓ cup + 1 tsp oil divided use
  • 1 ½ lbs yellow onion
  • 2 tbsp cumin seeds
  • 1 jalapeno
  • 1 " piece ginger from fat end
  • ½ head of garlic about 7 cloves
  • 4 tbsp garam masala you may substitute curry powder
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt
  • 1 cup unsalted diced tomatoes and their juices
  • 2 yellow potatoes peeled, coarsely chopped
  • 4 cups water plus more as needed
  • handful chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

  • Cook the soaked chickpeas covered by 1 1/2 inches of water with 2 tsp kosher salt in an Instant pot/pressure cooker (high pressure for 20 mins) or in rapidly simmering water (1 to 1 1/2 hours) until tender. (See option for canned chickpeas in notes.)
  • Meanwhile, heat 1/3 cup oil in a large stockpot (your biggest) over medium heat.
    Add onions and cook until very soft and deeply golden, about 30 minutes, reducing the heat to low if they start to brown too quickly.
  • Push onions to one side of the pot and add the remaining teaspoon of oil the space you made.  
    Add the cumin seeds to the oil and increase heat to medium.
    When cumin is toasty (1-2 minutes), stir back into the onions along with jalapeño, ginger and garlic.
  • When garlic smells fragrant (another minute or so), stir in garam masala, cinnamon and salt to coat other ingredients.
    Add tomatoes and cook the tomatoes down for about 5 minutes (you should see the oil bubbling up to the surface).
  • Stir in the potatoes, cooked chickpeas and water.
    If mixture is quite dry, add another couple of cups of water (you want it to be fairly loose and stew-like, so that the potatoes will be submerged and simmer; it will thicken as it cooks).
    Cook, uncovered, until potato is tender (about another 30 minutes, but you can simmer it longer - it only gets better).  
    Add more water if at any point it is getting dry (and if you add too much water, simply simmer it down).
    Taste and add more salt at the end if needed. Stir in cilantro just before serving.

Notes

Ginger Garlic Paste: Replace ginger and garlic with 2 tablespoons of ginger-garlic paste. Adjust quantity based on your taste preference.
Canned Chickpeas: 1 1/2 lbs of dried chickpeas yields about 4 15-ounce cans. To use canned chickpeas, just drain them and jump ahead to the onion

Nutrition

Calories: 345kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Sodium: 1039mg | Potassium: 854mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 395IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 98mg | Iron: 5mg