This dry chana recipe is made with black chickpeas (kala chana), ground spices, ginger and green chillies. Also known as sukha kala chana (sookhe kale chane), it is perfect to serve as side dish.
We make this dry black chickpea curry during hindu festival of Navratri on Ashtami with poori and sooji halwa. We also call it ashtami kala chana.
It is a no onion no garlic black chickpea recipe that also happens to be vegan, vegetarian friendly. You can serve it as chickpeas salad too. Pindi chana is a similar no onion no garlic recipe that I prepare with white chickpeas but it is saucy.
In north india, ashtami or navami is an auspicious day since it marks the end of nine day long navratri fasting period. Small palm leaf bowls(done) are handed over to little girls and boys (kanjaks) filled with poori, halwa and kala chana prashad.
Growing up, on Kanjak puja, we used to go from home to home to collect prasad and gifts. There used to be small goodie bags or cash along with delicious food.
Every year, two times a year to be precise, I look forward to making kale chane this way for Ashtami prasad.
About Recipe
In hindi, sukha or sukhe means dry. This black chickpea recipe gets its name from its dry preparation. You do need to plan ahead in terms of soaking the black chickpeas overnight, else it is a very straight forward recipe.
The dry chana recipe is
- made without onion and garlic
- warming (due to ginger), spicy and flavorful
- super simple to make
- easily made gluten free (don't use hing)
- great addition to festive meals
- a great meal prep option
- perfect to serve different ways - as a side dish or salad, can be turned into wraps.
- customizable to your needs - you can totally make this recipe with onion and garlic if you wish. I have included instructions later in this post.
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Ingredients
- Black Chickpeas (Kala Chana)- These are different in taste and texture and are smaller in size compared to garbanzo beans. Dried black chickpeas are easily available in all south asian stores. I haven't seen the canned variety ever so you will need to scratch cook them. You may use regular canned chickpeas if you wish.
- Mustard Oil - I cook in mustard oil. However you could use avocado or grapeseed oil. You could use ghee too.
- Tamarind paste- adds a smoky tanginess. Substitute with fresh lemon juice if unavailable.
- Other Ingredients - Ground spices, Fresh ginger, Indian green chillies (hot), salt (use sendha namak(rock salt) for prasad purpose)
How To Make Dry Chana Recipe
Soak the Kala Chana (Must)
Rinse the dried kala chana 1-2 times under running water. Add to a large bowl and cover them with enough water (2-3 inches above the beans). Depending on the quality of beans and the ambient temperature, it can take 10-18 hours for them to soak properly. After soaking properly, the chickpeas will up plump and you will be able to peel the skins easily.
If you are short on time, begin by soaking the black chickpeas in warm water. This aids in softening their skins and quickens the process slightly.
Cook Using a Pressure cooker or Instant Pot
To cook the dried black chickpeas, I really recommend that you use either the stove top pressure cooker or instant pot. These beans are pretty hard & dry and they will not get tender easily if you boil them in a pot covered in water. I have never tried myself, however from my knowledge I can say that it will take hours and hours together to get them soft.
Place the soaked and drained black chickpeas in a pressure cooker. Add salt, whole spices, water and a pinch of baking soda (optional). Place the pressure cooker on a medium high stove. After the first whistle, reduce the heat to low and let cook for 8-10 minutes (7-9 whistles). Let pressure release naturally.
Note - The time of pressure cooking and number of whistles will differ depending on the brand and quality of kala chana. Please adjust as needed.
Make the Masala
- Using a mortar pestle make a coarse paste of ginger and green chillies.
- In a small bowl, add the ground cumin, coriander, kala namak (black salt) and red chilli powder. Add 2-4 tablespoon of chickpea stock(from boiling) to make a slurry. Keep ready.
- In a kadai or cooking pot, heat up the oil and temper with cumin seeds and hing. Let cumin crackle.
- Add the ginger green chilli paste. Saute for 10-15 seconds. Lower the flame and add the spice slurry we made. Cook for a minute or so until you see small oil bubbles separating.
- Add the boiled kala chana and mix well with the spices. Saute the chickpeas with the masala and add the stock slowly white sautéing. Let the stock get absorbed before adding more. Do the sautéing on low heat to develop the best flavors. Takes about 6-8 minutes.
- Taste and adjust the salt. Finish with ghee, tamarind paste and chopped cilantro (coriander leaves). Done!
Sukha Kala Chana With Onion, Garlic & Tomato
When you pound the ginger and green chilies, pound the garlic together as well.
In step 4 above, add the chopped onion after tempering the oil with cumin and hing. Lightly brown the onions. Then add the ginger, garlic and green chili paste. Saute for 10-15 seconds and then add the ground spice slurry. Once the spices have sautéed for a minute or so, add finely chopped tomatoes. Cook the tomatoes till they soften and the masala is nicely browned - it will appear shiny and small oil bubbles will separate on sides.
Proceed to Step 5 as noted above.
Recipe Tips
- Pressure cook the chickpeas until super soft. Press between thumb and index finger to check for doneness. You should be able to press them easily.
- Adjust the sour (tamarind) quantity to your liking in this recipe. We don't like very tangy kala chana and the quantity is noted accordingly.
- If you want add small diced potatoes and cook with the masala. Add the cooked kala chana only after the potatoes are fork tender.
- You could also use regular chickpeas for making this dry chana recipe.
- A little bit of kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) could be added at the end for flavor.
Serving Suggestions
- Ashtami Prasad - Pair with poori, suji halwa for kanjak prasad.
- Serve with roti or paratha and a bowl of yogurt.
- Make a Salad- Toss with chopped onions, tomatoes, cucumber, fresh herbs and make a salad.
- Make Wraps- Tuck inside flatbread with a slather of green chutney to make a wrap or roll.
- For a festive thali- serve it with bedmi poori, halwa, aloo sabzi or kaddu ki sabzi.
- Serve it with steamed rice, dal and aloo bharta.
Dry Chana Recipe (Sukha Kala Chana)
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
For Boiling The Black Chickpeas
- 1.25 cup black chickpeas kala chana
- 1 cup water
- 1 large bay leaf
- 1 whole black cardamom
- ½ teaspoon salt or use sendha namak
- Pinch baking soda optional
For Making The Masala
- 1 inch ginger
- 2-3 indian green chilies hot, adjust to taste
- 3 tablespoon oil
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ⅛ teaspoon hing asafoetida
- 1 teaspoon tamarind paste or fresh lime juice,adjust quantity to how sour you like
- 1 tablespoon ghee
Spices
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne powder (hot), adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon kala namak black salt(indian rock salt)
Instructions
Soak the Kala Chana (Must)
- Rinse the dried kala chana 1-2 times under running water. Add to a large bowl and cover them with enough water (2-3 inches above the beans). Depending on the quality of beans and the ambient temperature, it can take 10-18 hours for them to soak properly. Tip :- If you are short on time, begin by soaking the black chickpeas in warm water. This aids in softening their skins and quickens the process slightly.After soaking properly, the chickpeas will up plump and you will be able to peel the cover easily.
Pressure Cook The Kala Chana
- Place the soaked and drained black chickpeas in a pressure cooker. Add salt, spices, water and a pinch of baking soda (optional). Place the pressure cooker on a medium high stove. After the first whistle, reduce the heat to low and let cook for 8-10 minutes (7-9 whistles). Let pressure release naturally. Note - The time of pressure cooking and number of whistles will differ depending on the brand and quality of kala chana. Please adjust as needed.
- By the time the chickpeas cook, about 60 % of the water would be absorbed. We will use the rest of the stock while sautéing later.
Make The Masala
- Using a mortar pestle make a coarse paste of ginger and green chillies.
- In a small bowl, add the ground cumin, coriander powder, kala namak (black salt) and red chilli. Add 2-4 tablespoon of chickpea stock (from boiling) to make a slurry. Keep ready.
- In a kadai or cooking pot, heat up the oil and temper with cumin seeds and hing. Let cumin crackle. Add the ginger green chilli paste. Saute for 10-15 seconds.
- Lower the flame and add the spice slurry we made. Cook for a minute or so until you see small oil bubbles separating.
- Add the boiled kala chana(without the stock) and mix well with the spices.
- Saute the chickpeas with the masala and add the stock slowly white sautéing. Let the stock that you added get absorbed before adding more. Do the sautéing on low heat to develop the best flavors. Takes about 6-8 minutes.
- Taste and adjust the salt. Finish with ghee tamarind paste and chopped cilantro (coriander leaves). Done!
Sukha Chana With Onion, Tomato & Garlic
- When you pound the ginger and green chilies, pound the garlic together as well. Add the chopped onion after tempering the oil with cumin and hing. Lightly brown the onions. Then add the ginger, garlic and green chili paste. Saute for 10-15 seconds and then add the ground spice slurry. Once the spices have sautéed for a minute or so, add finely chopped tomatoes. Cook the tomatoes till they soften and the masala is nicely browned - it will appear shiny and small oil bubbles will separate on sides. Proceed to adding boiled chana and further as noted above.
Notes
- Make sure that you don't use old black chickpeas. As they sit in the pantry and get old, there skins toughen and they lose their taste besides needing long time to cook.
- Pressure cook the chickpeas until super soft. Press between thumb and index finger to check for doneness. You should be able to press them easily.
- Adjust the sour (tamarind) quantity to your liking in this recipe. We dont like very tangy kala chana and the quantity is noted accordingly.
- If you want add small diced potatoes and cook with the masala. Add the cooked kala chana only after the potatoes are fork tender.
- A little bit of kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) could be added at the end for flavor.
- You could also use regular white chickpeas for making this dry chana recipe.
- Ashtami Prasad - Pair with poori, suji halwa for kanjak prasad.
- Serve with roti or paratha and a bowl of yogurt.
- Make a Salad- Toss with chopped onions, tomatoes, cucumber, fresh herbs and make a salad.
- Make Wraps- Tuck inside flatbread with a slather of green chutney to make a wrap or roll.
- For a festive thali- serve it with bedmi poori, halwa, aloo sabzi or kaddu ki sabzi.
- Serve it with steamed rice, dal and aloo bharta.
Sue
Delicious!