Punjabi Kala Chana with a Saucepan Method
Lalkila Kitchen · Plant based · Vegetarian · Dal · Curries · Main dishes · Punjabi cooking
Cook the soaked black chickpeas until tender before adding them to the onion-tomato masala. This uses the source’s saucepan alternative, keeping its water quantities separate from the pressure-cooker instructions.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried kala chana (172 g)
- 2 1/2 cups soaking water
- 2 cups fresh cooking water, plus more as needed
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 tsp each chopped garlic, green chilli and ginger
- 1 1/4 cups chopped tomato
- 1 tsp each Kashmiri chilli powder and ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1 pinch asafoetida, optional
- 1 cup water for the gravy, adjusted as needed
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1–2 tbsp chopped coriander, optional
Method
- Soak chickpeas overnight in the refrigerator. Drain and rinse. Simmer in fresh cooking water until completely tender, replenishing as needed; drain.
- Heat oil, crackle cumin and soften onion to light gold. Add garlic, chilli and ginger, then tomato; cook until pulpy.
- Stir in ground spices and optional asafoetida, then cooked chickpeas, salt and gravy water. Simmer until flavours combine and sauce reaches a medium-thin consistency.
- Finish with garam masala and optional coriander.
Cooking notes
Press a chickpea to check the centre, rather than relying on an elapsed time. Older pulses can require substantially longer cooking. The finished gravy need not be a thick paste. Keep the whole chickpeas distinct, and do not confuse kala chana with the larger pale kabuli chickpeas.
Pantry shopping at Lalkila.com
For cooking and serving, explore Pulses & Dals and Cookware. Read the actual product details and obtain fresh ingredients locally as needed.
More recipes
- Adai with Rice, Three Dals and Curry Leaves
- Wholewheat Poori: Small Puffed Fried Breads
- Kidney Bean and Tomato Curry with Coriander
Source and adaptation
Adapted from Dassana Amit’s Kala Chana, Dassana’s Veg Recipes. Original recipe.
Selected the explicit saucepan alternative: cook soaked chickpeas separately with 2 cups water or more, then simmer in masala with 1 cup water. Used oil and refrigerated overnight soaking.
This is an editorial adaptation, not kitchen-tested by Lalkila. FoodSafety.gov cooking temperatures and safe food handling provide the safety references. The featured image is a generated illustration of this recipe.