Kala Desi Chana Recipe -Brown Chickpea Curry

Kala Desi Chana is a no onion no garlic North Indian style thin gravy recipe of black chickpeas and flavoured with everyday Indian Spices. This delicious Kala Desi Chana can be served with rice or roti.

Archana Doshi
Kala Desi Chana Recipe -Brown Chickpea Curry
5201 ratings.

Kala Desi Chana is a delicious, spicy and flavorful curry of Whole Bengal Gram without using onion or garlic. The chickpea with dark brown skin is smaller in size when compared to the white skinned chickpea. The two vary a lot in taste and texture. The Whole Bengal Gram tend to be drier and maintain their firmness even after they have been cooked very well. A recipe made from the Kala Chana tastes good both in its dry and gravy form. Serve Kala Desi Chana with aam ras for a festive meal. 

Did you know: Brown Chickpeas has the good amount of iron, sodium, selenium and small amount of copper-zinc and manganese. They are a rich source of protein. They are also a very good source of folic acid and fiber and contain phytochemicals called saponins, which can act as antioxidants. Know more

Serve Kala Desi Chana Recipe with Phulka and Beetroot Raita for a wholesome lunch or dinner.

If you like this recipe, you can also try other Dal recipes such as

  1. Gujarati Dal Recipe
  2. Keerai Sambar Recipe
  3. Dal Makhani Recipe

Course: Dinner
Diet: High Protein Vegetarian
Prep in

10 M

Cooks in

35 M

Total in

45 M

Makes:

3 Servings

Ingredients

  • 1 Cup Kala Chana (Brown Chickpeas)
  • 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
  • 1 inch Ginger , peeled and grated
  • 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi)
  • 1 teaspoon Red Chilli powder
  • 1 teaspoon Garam masala powder
  • 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder (Dhania)
  • 2 tablespoon Oil
  • Salt , to taste
  • 4 sprig Coriander (Dhania) Leaves , roughly chopped for garnish
  • 4 sprig Coriander (Dhania) Leaves , roughly chopped for garnish

How to make Kala Desi Chana Recipe -Brown Chickpea Curry

  1. To begin making Kala Desi Chana, first wash and soak the chickpeas for 6 hours or overnight in 2 cups of water. Drain the soaked chickpea in a colander.

  2. Transfer drained chickpeas to Pressure Cooker with 2 1/2 cups of water. Close the lid of the pressure cooker. Put the weight on and cook chickpeas over medium heat till they turn soft and tender. See cooking instructions on how to cook lentils/dals. Once chickpea is cooked turn off the heat. With the spoon gently press the boiled chickpea. Keep aside until required.

  3. Now heat oil in a wok over medium heat, add the cumin seeds and allow it to crackle. Add grated ginger and fry for few seconds. Stir in the turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala, chilli powder, salt and the cooked chickpeas. Stir to combine.

  4. Allow the mixture to come to a boil over medium heat. Once the mixture begins to boil, turn the heat to low and simmer the mixture for 20 to 30 minutes. Adjust the consistency and taste of the dish according to your taste, by adding water and spices. If adding water let Kala Desi Chana simmer for few more minutes.

  5. Turn off the heat. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and transfer Kala Desi Chana into a serving bowl.

  6. Serve Kala Desi Chana Recipe with Phulka and Beetroot Raita for a wholesome lunch or dinner.