dry kala chana recipe with step by step photos – sukha kala chana is always made during the kanjak ceremony on the last day of the navratri in our home. this dish is always served with pooris on this day.
the kanjaks are served the kala chana with pooris. and after they have been served the rest of the family has the pooris with kala chana. along with kala chana, sooji ka halwa is also made on this day.
while i made this kala chana recipe on a regular day for dinner and we had it with chapatis. this is a punjabi recipe and i have modified the original family recipe. the result was a chatpata kala chana. have the dry kala chana with the zing of lime and it taste great. good during the monsoons to have a bowl of kala chana with or without chapati or bread. this recipe can be had for breakfast, brunch, lunch or even dinner.
when made during kanjak only turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala powder, salt and mustard oil is added to this recipe. you could have a look at the original minimally spiced recipe here – sookha kala chana
you could have this dry kala chana with puri, roti, naan, bhatura or even plain bread. the leftover chana can be easily added as a stuffing inside bread, topped with slices of onion, tomato, cheese and grilled/toasted and you have an amazing chana cheese sandwich ready. this is how i usually use the leftover kala chana for breakfast.
this is a step by step recipe to make dry curry with black chickpeas. it was dark and raining this day. thus the kitchen was dark and i have yellow lights in the kitchen. hence a few step by step photographs have not come out very well.
if you are looking for more chickpeas recipes then do check:
dry kala chana recipe
Ingredients (1 cup = 250 ml)
- 2 cups black chickpeas (kala chana)
- 1 inch ginger julienned (adrak)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- 1 green chili (hari mirch), chopped or slit
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder (lal mirch powder)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
- 2 teaspoon coriander powder (dhania powder)
- 2 teaspoon cumin seeds powder jeera powder
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala
- 1 teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur powder) or powdered pomegranate seeds
- ½ cup coriander leaves (dhania patta), chopped
- 1 lemon sliced
- 6 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoon oil
- rock salt or black salt as required
How to Make Recipe
cooking kala chana
- pick the kala chana to remove any stones. wash them in running water for 3-4 time.
- then soak the kala chana overnight. they become plump and all the wrinkles on them disappear after they are completely soaked.
- the next day add water to the chana.
- and boil the chana in a pressure cooker with 1 tsp salt for 20-25 minutes till the chana is cooked completely. strain the chana.
making dry kala chana recipe
- in a pan heat 3 tbsp oil. splutter the cumin seeds.
- now add chana and mix well.
- add the ginger julienne and chopped green chili. i added some 1/2 cup of the chana stock to the chanas so that they do not stick to the pan.
- you may or may reserve some stock if you want. in case you don’t add any water, then saute the chana on a low flame so as to avoid burning.
- add all the dry masalas and black salt to the chana.
- mix it well and let the kala chana cook in the masala for a couple of minutes.
- remember to keep on stirring so that the dry chana masala do not stick to the bottom of the pan. garnish kala chana with chopped coriander leaves.
- and serve dry kala chana hot with wedges of lemon.
Notes
few points for dry kala chana recipe
1. when making kala chana for navratri festival, use rock salt.2. you could alter the spice powders as per your taste.
3. to make kala chana more hot and spicy add more of green chillies and red chili powder.
4. to increase the sourness increase the amount of dry mango powder and chaat masala.
5. make sure you have the kala chana with lemon. we did not have any lemons in the house and had to do without these 🙁
6. you may use white chickpeas or even black eyed beans to make this recipe.
how to make dry kala chana recipe
- pick the kala chana to remove any stones. wash them in running water for 3-4 times and then soak the kala chana overnight. they become plump and all the wrinkles on them disappear after they are completely soaked.
- the next day add water to the kala chana.
- and boil the kala chana in a pressure cooker with 1 tsp salt for 20-25 minutes till the chana is cooked completely. strain the chana.
- in a pan heat 3 tbsp oil. splutter the cumin seeds.
- now add black chana and mix well.
- add the ginger julienne and chopped green chili. i added some 1/2 cup of the chana stock to the chanas so that they do not stick to the pan. you may or may reserve some stock if you want. in case you don’t add any water, then saute the chana on a low flame so as to avoid burning.
- add all the dry masalas and black salt to the black chana.
- mix it well and let the black chana cook in the masala for a couple of minutes. remember to keep on stirring so that the masala do not stick to the bottom of the pan. garnish dry kala chana with chopped coriander leaves.
- serve dry black chana hot with wedges of lemon. enjoy :-).
This is sooo good! I didnt have mango powder so I double the Chat Masale (had the Shan). Very good and super quick!
Thanks Kim for sharing your positive feedback.
Great recipe!!! Came out very tasty..like all your recipes 🙂 thanks so much.
Very simple , perfect & tasteful recipie. You deserve appreciation .
thankyou so much madhu 🙂 glad to know this.
This is excellent!! I make it exactly the way you described. You guys are a great team and a great site. I refer to a lot of your recipes for daily ordinary food too. They’re all fantastic
thanks karie for this positive feedback and appreciation.
Your recipes are so simple and tasty!
thanks candice