Black Chickpea curry

Kala Chana Masala

Black chickpea curry

Kala Chana Masala is a delicious vegan Indian curry made with a unique ingredient, black chickpeas! Black chickpeas are nuttier and firmer than traditional garbanzo beans, making this a one of a kind dish. Serve it spicy with plenty of serrano peppers with basmati rice!!

Kala is the color black in Hindi, and chana means chickpeas. Kala chana is also referred to as desi chickpeas or desi chana. It's mostly grown in the Indian subcontinent.

Kala chana curry

A bowl of black chickpea curry is warm, hearty, and super nutritious making it perfect for cold weather days!

cook Time: 1H 10min

Ingredients

– ½ lbs black chickpeas – 2 tablespoon olive oil, or ghee – 1 teaspoon cumin seeds – ½ yellow onion, diced – 1 serrano pepper, diced – 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste – 1 large tomato, diced – ¼ teaspoon chili powder – ½ teaspoon coriander powder – ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric – ½ teaspoon garam masala – salt, to taste – pinch of asafoetida, optional – water, as required – 1 tsbp lemon juice

1

In a large bowl, pour in the black chickpeas. Cover it with twice the volume of water and allow the chickpeas to soak water overnight or for 4-6 hours. They'll soften and double in size. Drain and rinse the chickpeas when ready for use.

2

Add oil to a dutch oven. Once the oil shimmers, add the cumin seeds and roast them for a minute. Add in the diced onion and serrano peppers and fry them until they start to sweat. At this point, add the diced tomato and ginger garlic paste.

3

Add the coriander powder, ground turmeric, garam masala, salt, and asafoetida. Give everything a good stir and allow it to simmer until the tomatoes soften and break down. Add 3 tablespoons of hot water to create a gravy.

4

Add in the black chickpeas and stir it into the gravy so it's well coated. Sauté for a minute, and then add 1.5 - 2 cups of warm water. Turn the heat on low to medium and cover the pot. Simmer the chickpeas for an hour.

5

Spritz lemon juice and add chopped cilantro. To make it super rich, add a tablespoon of ghee to finish. Serve over rice or with roti.

And that's another weeknight meal to add to your arsenal! Enjoy!!