Kala Chana Recipe (Black Chickpea Curry)

A delicious, go-to Kala Chana recipe from one of my favourite Indian chefs. We make it almost weekly. Hearty, vegetarian and satisfying.

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Total Time1

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian

Servings:

1 cup dried black or regular chickpeas or 1-15ounce can
½ cup ghee I use 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup canola oil
1 ½ tbsp cumin seeds not ground
2 medium onions 1 pound, chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped garlic about 6 large cloves
1 large juicy tomato finely chopped (or about 1 cup of canned, diced tomatoes)
1 large jalapeno pepper finely chopped
1 tbsp garam masala
½ tbsp mango powder I omitted this because I didn't have it on hand. Use it if you can find it, but it is delicious without it otherwise
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground fenugreek seeds
1 tsp salt
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup water (if using canned chickpeas only)
½ cup chopped cilantro

If using dried chickpeas, rinse in a colander then soak overnight or with the 1 hour quick soak method outlined above. Place soaked, drained chickpeas in 9 cups of salted water. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 1 hour. Reserve 1 cup of cooking liquid and drain.
Meanwhile, in a separate large pot, heat ghee (or butter/oil) on medium high for 1 minute. Add cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle for about 30 seconds. Add onions and cook until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and saute 2-3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, then add jalapeno pepper, garam masala, mango powder, turmeric, fenugreek, salt and cayenne. Reduce heat to medium and cook until oil glistens on top (about 5-8 minutes). Stir in reseved chickpea water or 1 cup fresh water if using canned chickpeas.
Add boiled, drained chickpeas (or canned chickpeas, drained). Bring to a boil on medium-high heat, then reduce to low and simmer for 20 minutes or until thickened. Stir in cilantro.