Time is such a thing. Things which you thought would never change or you could alter about yourself end up being history. If I have to substantiate this with an example, I would use one which is food related. As a child or even during my teenage years, I had always detested certain kinds of food. But the passage of time and experience has made me value those very same things, which I enjoy now.
Kala chana (black chickpeas) is such an example. I have never really enjoyed Kala chana in a curry. The maximum I have gone is eaten it raw in a salad or a prasad. But now, I cannot get enough of it. It is one of my favorite kind of sprouts. Also because with time I have become wiser in terms of understanding what food is good for me, and how it can be made tasty.
You probably have seen a lot of Kala chana recipes on the internet. But trust me this one is different. The game changer is the use of curd. And oh, the results are absolutely stunning.
I invented this recipe a few years ago when I didn’t have anything else but some Kala chana at home. I was perhaps too broke to order in. As they rightly say, necessity is the mother of invention. And this splendid recipe emerged out of experimentation in the kitchen.
I usually enjoy Kala chana in its raw form. Assamese people have soaked Kala chana along with soaked moong dal as prasad. So I’ve been used to eating in that form since my childhood. I also enjoy it in my salads in its uncooked form.
But this dahi Kala chana curry makes me go weak in my knees. Made with ginger, garlic, garam masala, curd, tomatoes and lots of onions, I have been loving this sweet, spicy and tangy curry for a few years now. Adding that pinch of salt while boiling the chana in the pressure cooker makes a lot of difference.
The spices and condiments used in this are very basic and mostly lying around at home. The one big difference that makes this curry truly tasty is fresh garam masala. I make my own by dry roasting equal amounts of cardamom, cinnamon, and clove together. And the biggest secret to any good pulse curry is to add salt while boiling. The salt gets infused into every grain and makes a huge difference.
Before boiling the Kala chana, I soaked it in water overnight. Kala chana takes some time to soften so make sure you leave it in water for eight to twelve hours.
Preparation time – 20 minutes
Cook time – 60 minutes
Serves – 2-3 people
Ingredients
- 100 g Kala Chana
- 2 tbsp mustard oil
- 2 medium onions, ground to a paste
- 3 medium tomatoes, ground to a paste
- 1 tsp sugar
- 20 g fresh ginger garlic paste
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp black pepper powder
- 50 g thick curd
- 1 tsp garam masala
- Salt to taste
Directions
- Soak the Kala chana in water overnight. Boil it with 1 tsp salt in a pressure cooker with about 500 ml water.
- In a kadhai, heat some mustard oil. Once it starts smoking and acquires a pale yellow color add the onion paste.
- Cook the onions gently till its raw aroma disappears. Add the ginger garlic paste to it.
- For a sweet flavor, add some sugar. This will also give a beautiful caramelized color to the gravy.
- Once the raw aroma of the onions and ginger and garlic disappears, add the tomato paste. Saute this till all the water from the tomato reduces and a thick paste gets formed. This step is absolutely crucial otherwise you will have a curry with raw tomato smell.
- Season with salt, cumin powder (jeera), black pepper powder, turmeric powder, and coriander powder. Mix well till the spices completely assimilate with the rest of the ingredients in the masala.
- Now add the boiled Kala chana and water to this cooked masala paste. Stir well and boil it in high heat till you get your desired consistency.
- Beat the curd well in a bowl and add it to the gravy. Give it a good stir. Make sure you use good quality, thick and fresh curd for this.
- Just before you take it off the stove, add the garam masala and give it one last stir.
- Serve with roti, rice or pulao with onions and pickle.
Related recipe – Dhaba Style Chana Dal
If you want regular access to more such delightful food, you can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Happy cooking!
