Ingredients
For Soaking
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▢0.75 cup black chickpeas (kala chana) – 172 grams
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▢1.88 cups water – for soaking
Other Ingredients
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▢1.5 tablespoons oil or ghee (clarified butter)
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▢0.75 teaspoon cumin seeds
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▢0.38 cup finely chopped onions – 63 grams or 1 medium-sized
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▢0.94 cups finely chopped tomatoes – 185 grams or 2 medium-sized
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▢0.75 teaspoon finely chopped garlic – 4 to 5 small to medium-sized garlic cloves
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▢0.75 teaspoon finely chopped green chillies or serrano pepper or 1 to 2 green chillies
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▢0.75 teaspoon finely chopped ginger or 1 inch ginger
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▢0.75 teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder or ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
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▢0.19 teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
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▢0.75 teaspoon Coriander Powder (ground coriander)
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▢0.75 pinch asafetida (hing) – optional
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▢1.13 cups water or as required
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▢salt as required
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▢0.38 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder or Punjabi garam masala
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▢0.75 to 1.5 tablespoons choppped coriander leaves – optional
Instructions Soaking Black Chickpeas
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Rinse black chickpeas for a couple of times in water.
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In a large enough bowl, take 2.5 cups water and soak the black chickpeas or kala chana in it overnight or for 8 to 9 hours.
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Drain the water. Using a colander or strainer, rinse the soaked chickpeas in water for a couple of times and set aside.
Making Kala Chana
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In a 3 litre pressure cooker, add 2 tablespoon oil or ghee. Reduce the heat to a low.
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Add cumin seeds. Let them crackle and then add finely chopped onions.
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Sauté onions till they become light golden on a medium-low to medium heat. Again reduce the heat to a low.
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Add finely chopped garlic, green chilli, ginger and sauté for 10 to 12 seconds or until the raw aroma of garlic and ginger goes away.
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Add finely chopped tomatoes and sauté them on a medium-low heat until the oil starts leaving from the sides of the onion-tomato masala. The tomatoes should soften and become pulpy.
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Swap fresh tomatoes with tomato puree or canned tomatoes. Crush the canned tomatoes before you add them. For tomato puree, add about ½ cup + 2 tablespoons of it.
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Add turmeric powder, asafoetida, coriander powder, kashmiri red chili powder and sauté for a minute on low heat.
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Then add the soaked black chickpeas and water. Season with salt and mix well.
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Pressure cook chana on a medium heat for 10 to 11 minutes or 10 to 12 whistles until the chickpeas are cooked tender and softened well. If they have a hard center or are undercooked, pressure cook further for 5 minutes.
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Lastly sprinkle the curry with garam masala and coriander leaves. If you like, garnish punjabi kala chana gravy with coriander leaves.
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Serve the black chickpeas gravy with steamed rice, roti.