Kala Chana Masala – Today I made a delicious protein rich curry known as Kala Chana Masala (Black Chana Masala Curry). This sabzi is cooked in Punjabi style with all the spices that are commonly used for Punjabi cuisine. Kala chana or bengal gram is quite common in Indian cooking. This lentil is very delicious and rich in protein. With its low glycemic index, Kala chana is perfect for a healthy diet. Lot of people make sprouts from kala chana and eat it in salads (related: bean sprouts salad).
I have cooked the kala chana masala curry in a pressure cooker to reduce its cooking time. Usually the lentils are cooked in pressure cooker to reduce the cooking time there by saving on utility bills. If you don’t have pressure cooker then you can cook this kala chana masala sabzi in normal pan too, however it will take quite a lot of time to get cooked.
Related: lobiya masala | rajma masala
Kala chana is often boiled and used in Pani puri masala, my favorite Indian street food.
Update: I just published a similar recipe of Dry kala chana sabji (sukhe kale chane). Do check out.
Let us check the delicious mouth watering kala chana masala curry recipe.
Step by step Kala Chana Masala curry recipe
1. Soak about 1/2 cup of black chickpea (bengal gram) in water over night. The kala chana will become softer and gets doubled in size when soaked in water over night. Still the kala chana would be quite hard for a curry. That is the reason why we will cook this kala chana masala curry in pressure cooker.
2. Now in a pressure cooker add onion paste. We want to remove all water from onion paste. That’s why we are cooking it first instead of adding oil to the pressure cooker. Once the onion paste turns light brown add oil, cumin seeds (jeera) and tomato puree.
Cook the tomato puree for 2-3 minutes, once cooked add grated ginger, garlic and chopped green chilies. Now mix all the ingredients well.
3. Add soaked kala chana/black chana in pressure cooker along with the water in which it was soaked. Now add all the spices: coriander powder (dhaniya), red chili powder, turmeric powder (haldi), chole masala and salt to taste. Mix everything well and let the spices get simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Now close the lid of pressure cooker and cook for 20 minutes. If you are using the pressure cooker with whistle it should take around 7-8 whistles.
Kala chana masala sabzi is ready to serve. Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) and lemon juice.
- Kala chana (Black Chickpea): 1 cup, soaked
- Onion: 1/2 cup, paste
- Tomato: 1/2 cup, paste
- Cumin seeds (jeera): 1 tsp
- Ginger: 1 inch, grated
- Garlic: 3 cloves, grated
- Turmeric powder (haldi): 1 tsp
- Red chili powder: 2 tsp
- Coriander powder (dhanya): 1 tbsp
- Chole masala: 1/2 tbsp
- Oil: 1 1/2 tbsp
- Green coriander (Cilantro): 1/2 cup, finely chopped
- Lemon juice: 1 tbsp
- Green chili: 2 piece, chopped
- Salt to taste
- Soak half cup of kala chana/chichpea in water over night.
- In a pressure cooker, add onion paste and cook it until onion gets dried and turn light brown in color.
- Then add oil, cumin seeds (jeera) and tomato puree. Cook until tomato puree is well cooked.
- Now add grated ginger, garlic and chopped green chilies. Cook for sometime to remove raw taste of garlic and ginger.
- Put the soaked kala chana in pressure cooker along with some water in which it was soaked.
- Now add all spices: coriander powder (dhanya), turmeric powder (haldi), red chili powder, chole masala and salt to taste. Mix everything well and let the spices get simmer for some time.
- Close the lid of pressure cooker and cook for 20 minutes (6-7 whistles).
- Once the kala chana curry is cooked, add chopped green coriander (cilantro) and some lemon juice (optional). Serve hot with chapatis/parathas/puris.
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Yummy…..
it is good recipe and look nice and delicious
i will try it must
visit my blog too
my recent post is chicken and apple grilled cheese sandwiches
I made this last night for dinner for my husband and he loved it. The flavor is very true to North Indian cuisine. Thank you for the great recipe!
How much water do you add when you add the kala chana? Looks yummy! Thanks