Dry chana recipe with step by step photos – quick, easy and delicious South Indian style dry chickpea curry made with minimal ingredients. In spite of few ingredients added the dry chole tastes fab. A low fat and vegan dish.
This dry chana has a nice balance of flavors. the sweetness coming from the onion compliments the heat coming from the black pepper powder and chilies very well. The tangy taste coming from the lime juice adds more punch and flavor to the dish. Overall a quick and tasty dish which goes very well with rotis, parathas, pooris or bread. Sometimes I also use dry chana as a stuffing in sandwiches.
Chickpeas recipes are loved by our house folks. Hence I have already shared many chickpea curry recipes like:
This dry chana is my mom’s recipe. in our growing years, we would just have chickpeas sprinkled with a bit of salt. I remember we used to love eating boiled chana with potato wafers.
If you have the cooked the chickpeas ahead of time then this dish merely takes about 8 to 10 mins to cook. Any time you are planning to make any chickpea recipe then don’t forget to soak them overnight. Next day you could pressure cook the chickpea until they soften or cooked well. Now you are ready to make any recipe you want from the cooked chickpeas. Another thing I keep in mind is to buy fresh chole as they cook faster and taste good too.
How to make dry chana
1. Rinse and then soak 1 cup of chickpeas/chole with enough water covering them over-night or for 8 to 9 hours. in the morning discard the water and rinse the chickpeas in water.
2. Then add the soaked chickpeas in the pressure cooker with 3 to 4 cups of water. Pressure cook the chickpeas till they are cooked well and softened. For me it takes 18 to 20 whistles. Depending upon the quality of chickpeas it may take more or less time. You have to cook them till they are cooked completely. Eat one boiled chana and check, they should be soft while eating. If you do not have a pressure cooker, then cook the chickpeas in a pot with enough water. Cooking chole in a pot will take more time and will require more water. Once chole are cooked then drain the water and place boiled chole aside.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan. Add ¼ cup tightly packed sliced onions.
4. Saute the onions until they become translucent.
5. Then add 1.5 teaspoons of ginger-garlic paste, a pinch of asofoetida/hing and 1 to 2 slit green chilies.
6. Saute on low flame for a minute, till the raw aroma from the ginger-garlic paste goes away. Even the onions color would change to pale brown.
7. Add 1 tablespoon of chopped coriander leaves.
8. Sprinkle 1.5 teaspoons of black pepper powder. Also, add black salt as required. Stir well.
9. Now add the boiled chickpeas.
10. Stir well.
11. Pour 1 teaspoon of lime juice and mix well.
12. Cover with a lid and simmer for 2 to 3 mins on a low flame.
13. Remove the lid and switch off the gas. Stir.
14. Garnish with 1 tablespoon of chopped coriander leaves and 8 to 10 small mint leaves (chopped).
Serve Dry chole with rotis, paratha or as a side dish with pulao or biryani.
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dry chana
Ingredients
for cooking chickpeas
- 1 cup white chickpeas (chole or kabuli chana), soaked in water overnight or for 8 to 9 hours
- 3 to 4 cups of water for pressure cooking the chole
other ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 small onion or ¼ cup tightly packed thinly sliced onions
- 1 pinch asofoetida (hing)
- 1.5 teaspoons Ginger-Garlic Paste or ½ inch ginger and 6 to 7 garlic - crushed in mortar-pestle
- 1 to 2 green chilies, slit
- 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
- 1.5 teaspoons pepper powder
- 1 teaspoon lime juice or add as required
- black salt or salt as per taste
for garnish
- 1 tablespoon coriander leaves, chopped finely
- 8 to 10 mint leaves, chopped
Instructions
cooking chickpeas
- Rinse and then soak 1 cup of chickpeas/chana with enough water covering them overnight or for 8 to 9 hours. In the morning discard the water.
- Rinse the chickpeas in water. Then add the soaked chickpeas with 4 cups of water in the pressure cooker.
- Pressure cook the chickpeas for 18 to 20 whistles or till they are cooked completely.
- The chickpeas should be cooked well and should be soft when you mash it between your fingers or a spoon.
- If you do not have a pressure cooker, then cook the chickpeas in a pot with enough water. Cooking chickpeas in a pot will take more time. Once chole are cooked then drain the water and place boiled chole aside.
making dry chana
- Heat oil in a pan, add the sliced onions.
- Saute the onions until they become translucent.
- Add 1.5 teaspoons of ginger-garlic paste and a pinch of asofoetida/hing.
- Also add 1 to 2 slit green chilies.
- Saute on low flame for a minute, till the raw smell from the ginger - garlic paste disappears. Even the onions color would change to pale brown.
- Add 1 tablespoon of chopped coriander leaves.
- Sprinkle 1.5 teaspoons of black pepper powder and black salt as required. Stir well.
- Now add the boiled chole. Stir well.
- Add 1 teaspoon of lime juice and mix well.
- Cover with a lid and simmer chana curry for 2 to 3 mins on low heat. remove the lid and switch off the gas.
- Garnish the dry chole with 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves and 8 to 10 mint leaves.
- Serve dry chana with hot phulkas, paratha or as a side dish with pulao or biryani.
Dassana, I will give you full 5 star for all the recipes. Your site is very helpful. Thanks a lot.
Thanks a lot Manisha. Glad! Most welcome.
really superb yar..
thanks deepa.
thank you for this recipe..:-)
welcome lucky 🙂
Hi Dassana, this recipe definitely Is a quick and easy one! what would be an alternative for black pepper powder?
archana, black pepper powder is required in this recipe and is one of the main ingredient. there is no substitute for black pepper. another spice which you can use is red chilli powder, but with red chilli powder the taste will be different. if using red chilli powder, then add as per your taste requirements.