Kala chana or brown chickpea curry is a flavorful North Indian dish that’s so simple to make in an Instant Pot!
Kala Chana Curry
This is a simple Punjabi vegetarian dish that goes perfectly with rice or roti. It calls for kala chana also known as black chickpeas – though I call them brown chickpeas because that’s what they look like to me.
This brown chickpea curry is a bit saucy and it’s also well spiced but not necessarily spicy – you can easily adapt the heat level by adding more cayenne/red chili powder.
Brown chickpeas have a tasty nutty flavor to them and they’re pretty dense. I think they have a “meaty” quality to them which is why I think this dish is great to serve on a meatless Monday or really any day you want to eat a vegetarian meal.
“I have made a double-batch of this at least three times in the last three months and it is always a hit. My family loves it and a guest who stayed with us for a week asked if we could take out this particular dish at least once everyday! Thanks again Ashley.”
Ruki M.
How are Brown Chickpeas Different Than White Chickpeas?
If you’ve never tried brown chickpeas before, they have a bit of a nutty flavor and are denser when compared to garbanzo beans/chickpeas. This is how I like to describe the difference: if you press a cooked white chickpea between your fingers, it’ll easily smush whereas, with a brown chickpea, you have to press a little harder to smush it. I know that’s probably a strange way to describe the texture but it makes sense, right?
As I mentioned, brown chickpeas have a “meaty” quality. While they do soften after cooking, they don’t absorb much liquid or break down the way other legumes or lentils do. Because of this reason, I only use a little water in this recipe.
I love cooking with brown chickpeas and already have a couple of recipes on the blog that call for them. There’s my recipe for Kadala Coconut Curry which is a south Indian Keralite recipe and is very different from the north Indian curry I’m sharing today. I also have a Sookha Kala Chana recipe which is a “dry” brown chickpea dish – perfect for snacking on alongside a cup of Chai and/or some puris (fried Indian bread).
If you are interested in learning more about Indian Legumes, I’ve written a blog post all about them – be sure to check it out 🙂
Can I Make This Curry with Onion Masala?
Yes! Omit the onion, garlic, ginger, and tomato sauce in the recipe and replace it with ¾ cup of onion masala. Also, be sure to add an additional ½ cup of water (for a total of 1 ½ cups). You can keep the remaining spices the same.
Serve this brown chickpea curry over Basmati Rice, roti or just eat a bowl of this on its own!
Kala Chana Curry
Kala Chana Curry
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown chickpeas kala chana, soaked overnight
- 2 tablespoons oil of choice
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 onion diced
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
Spices
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon dried mango powder amchur
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- ¼ teaspoon coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ cup canned tomato sauce
- 1 cup water
- Cilantro garnish
Instructions
- Soak the brown chickpeas in cold water overnight. Drain, rinse and set aside.
- Press the sauté button, add the oil and allow it to heat up for a minute. Once the oil is hot, add the bay leaf and cumin seeds to the pot. Once the cumin seeds turn brown, add the onions and stir-fry for about 10 minutes, or until the onions begin to brown.
- Add the garlic, ginger and spices and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the tomato sauce, brown chickpeas, water and mix well.
- Secure the lid, close the pressure valve and cook for 45 minutes at high pressure.
- Naturally release pressure.
- If you prefer a thicker curry, you can reduce the liquid by pressing the sauté button once the dish is done.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve.
Lorraine McCall says
Hi, Ashley!
I made this recipe once before and must have done something wrong because I didn’t love it. But, I’ve since become a big Kala Chana fan – as a crunchy snack with the chickpeas barely sprouting. So, I thought I’d give it another go. This time around, I gave the Chana a really good soak, more like 12 hours than overnight. Now I’m sorry I didn’t double the recipe! It’s fabulous! And like all. your recipes, so easy.
I was sad I couldn’t ❤️ it – make it a favorite. for some reason, some of the recipes no longer seem to have this feature. The Kerala Kadala Curry doesn’t have it either. Also, while it’s not a big deal, I enjoyed the little puzzles which also went wherever the little favorite buttons went (cavorting in the universe with single socks, perhaps?). Have a great day!
Miriam says
I love, love, love this recipe! I haven’t been able to find the brown chick peas, but use regular chickpeas and reduce the cooking time to 30 minutes. The flavor is even better the second day, so leftovers make great lunches! I have a mini one serving crockpot that I bring into work. My coworkers always remark about how good this smells while it is heating up.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Miriam, I’m so glad you love this recipe! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
Ruki Mazumdar says
I have made a double-batch of this at least three times in the last three months and it is always a hit. My family loves it and a guest who stayed with us for a week asked if we could take out this particular dish at least once everyday! :-0
Thanks again Ashley.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Ruki, that’s so great to hear! Glad you’re making and enjoying this so often – and that your guest liked it so much too!
Sophie says
I think I would have preferred a little more gravy, but I can adjust for that! I made it with the tomato onion masala. A happy introduction to brown chickpeas. 🙂
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Glad you liked it, Sophie – and yes, can definitely adjust to your preference 🙂
Anita Puri says
Your recipes continue to amaze me! This one is no exception. The chanas turned out perfectly soft and the curry was delicious… just the right flavor of the spices used. Thank you for creating these delicious recipes.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Anita! I’m so glad you liked this recipe 🙂
Amit says
As always a thoroughly researched and tested recipe! It turned out great!
Thanks for sharing,
Amit
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Amit! I’m glad you liked this recipe so much 🙂
Ashley says
Very thankful for this and all your recipes! They’re not complicated, made with ingredients already in my pantry, not tedious, and taste good. My sons liked this “acorn curry” as they call it and didn’t notice it was a bit spicy. Next time I am definitely going to double or triple it so there’s more leftovers for the next day.
My Heart Beets says
I love the name “acorn curry” – too cute! Thank you for letting me know how much you and your sons liked this dish 🙂
S says
Made this last night it was delicious! My family and I ate it like soup with a spoon without any roti or chawal. I’ve been making a lot of your recipes recently and I love that so many of them are in the instantpot and are classic Punjabi recipes like my mom used to make when I was younger. Thanks for all your hard work!
My Heart Beets says
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how this turned out for you 🙂
Sonal Chandna says
Hi, when you say close the pressure valve and cook on high pressure… does that mean “pressure cook high for 45 mins”
My Heart Beets says
Hi Sonal, yes, depending on your IP model, you’ll want to use either the “manual” button or “pressure cook” button and set the time to 45 minutes, then wait until the pot naturally releases pressure. Hope that helps and that you enjoy this!
Anu says
Another home run in our household for dinner! I quick released after ~10 min and it turned out fine but I was curious how long you typically natural release for. Thanks, Ashley!
My Heart Beets says
Anu, that’s so great to hear! Thank you for letting me know how this turned out for you 🙂 I usually just wait until the pin drops on its own but it’s really great to know that it turned out fine after a 10 minute natural release!
Katya Krasner says
Do I have to have an Instant Pot to make this dish?
My Heart Beets says
Having some type of pressure cooker will make this much faster. I haven’t tested it using a pot on the stove to know timings – let me know how it goes if you try it!
Tina Lakhotia says
This is completely delicious!!!
My Heart Beets says
Tina, I’m so happy to hear that you liked this so much!
Susan J. Walter says
Everyone in my family loved it! My 12-yr old daughter said it was the best thing she’d eaten in months! thanks for the great recipe—might add a little more liquid next time though.
My Heart Beets says
Susan, that’s so great to hear! I’m so glad your family – especially your 12 year old – liked the kala chana 🙂
Jamie says
Can I use 1/2 cup of onion masala in place of the tomato sauce instead? (I would prefer not to open a whole can of tomato sauce just for 1/2 cup.) If so, would I omit the onion, ginger and garlic? Thanks!
Isabelle Addison says
I made it with regular chickpeas (as I had them on hand) – easy and delicious.
My Heart Beets says
Awesome! I’m sure this will also help others wondering whether they can use regular chickpeas in the recipe – thanks for sharing!
Sharon says
This is my first time making a recipe from your blog and it was absolutely delicious!! Thank you so much for sharing this! I can’t wait to try more recipes from your blog.
My Heart Beets says
Sharon, I’m so happy to hear that you liked this brown chickpea curry!! I can’t wait to hear what you think of other recipes that you try 🙂