Kala Chana in Creamy Yogurt Sauce
Kala Chana or Black chickpeas in yogurt-based sauce. This dish is prepared by simmering black chickpeas in an aromatic sauce made with onion, garlic, creamy yogurt and chickpea flour. So creamy and delicious; pairs perfectly with rice or rotis.
It is like Jaisalmeri chana kadhi. But, slightly different. It’s a recipe by my father-in-law. I might have asked my husband when we got married what is one dish he likes from his parents. He mentioned this black chana that his dad made him. So, I emailed him immediately to send me recipe. As usual, Indian parents will give you recipe but without any measurements. I got to work and made this dish based off the ingredients he list used in the recipe sent to me. It came out perfect and happy husband.
Furthermore, If you like yogurt-based dishes, then this is sure to please you. In addition to being delicious black chana have a lot of health benefits to them. So, it’s a good choice anyways to make them part of your regular diet.
Additionally, this dish has all the flavors you can imagine from tangy to slightly sweet, slight heat and is very creamy. It’s a very wholesome recipe, just need to make some rotis or rice to soak up all that deliciousness and side of kachumber (salad) completes the meal.
I always keep some boiled black chickpeas on hand for my chaat cravings, so I will also use them to make this dish mostly on weeknights when I do not have too much time on hand and need to get dinner on table. The sauce comes together in just few minutes. Black chickpeas or Kala chana is easily available at Indian grocery stores. I have not seen kala chana in any other store so far.
Tips/Suggestions
They do take some time to cook, so I highly recommend soaking them overnight. The longer they soak, the easier they are to boil.
Whisk the besan into yogurt thoroughly to make sure its mixed in and there are no lumps.
Kala Chana in Yogurt Sauce
Ingredients
- ½ cup black chana or kala chana soaked for atleast 6 hours or overnight
- ¼ cup yogurt
- 1 tbsp chickpea flour
- 1 green chili
- 2-3 cloves garlic grated
- 1 inch piece of ginger grated
- 1 small onion
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp cumin-coriander powder
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 1 garam masala
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 – 2 tsp jaggery or sugar
- 1 tbsp oil or ghee
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- Small pinch asafoetida
- Cilantro to garnish
- Few slices of lemon
Instructions
Boiled Chickpeas
- Soak chana overnight, or at least 6 hours. Boil them in a pressure cooker or instant pot. For pressure cooker, it takes up to 5 whistles with enough water (approx. 2 cups) For instant pot, cook it on manual for 40 minutes.
- Once boiled, leave them aside. Don’t discard the water. Use it while cooking.
Onion paste
- Make a coarse paste from onions, garlic, ginger and green chili.
Yogurt Besan
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together yogurt and chickpea flour until it looks smooth. Add about 1 cup water and whisk again to mix well. (Use water from boiled chickpeas or regular water). Mixture should be lump free.
- In a pot or pan on medium heat, add ghee or oil. Let it heat up and as soon as it heats up add asafoetida, followed by cumin seeds.
- Let them splutter, add the onion paste. Stir and cook until the onion paste is cooked well. It should change color. Immediately add the yogurt besan mix. Stir continuously for few minutes and let it simmer.
- Add spices and salt at this point. Stir well. Add chickpeas too. Let the mixture simmer and once it is at the consistency you prefer you can remove it from heat. Add a squeeze of lemon to taste and garnish with cilantro.
Notes
If you love this recipe, I have more black chana recipe or chole masala.