This easy delicious Instant Pot Kala Chana – Indian Brown Chickpea Curry is easy to make and packed with flavor! And it is made in an Instant Pot of course.
Tomatoes and mango powder are a critical part of the tangy, and savory recipe, so please don’t eliminate them– if you do, your chickpea curry will taste a little blah.
The Serrano pepper is totally optional. If spicy isn’t your thing, you can eliminate the Serrano pepper.
What is Kala Chana used in this Instant Pot Kala Chana – Indian Brown Chickpea Curry?
Chickpeas commonly found in the US, are known as garbanzo beans, Kabuli chana or white chana. Kala chana (known as brown chickpea or black chickpea) have the same shape as the garbanzo bean but are smaller, and are brownish black in color. They have a nutty, buttery taste and have a thick skin. It doesn’t break down quickly. It takes longer to cook as compared to its white counterpart. Even when fully cooked, it will never be as soft as other lentils or beans. Please keep that in mind while cooking it. You may think it is hard and undone, however, it is delicious.
Where can I find brown chickpea?
In Indian grocery stores in the beans aisle or on Amazon.
How do I make Instant Pot Kala Chana – Indian Brown Chickpea Curry?
Rinse the dried brown chickpea well. Soak them in 2.5 cups water overnight.
When ready to cook, discard the water that was used to soak the chickpeas. Select sauté on the instant pot. Add oil to the pot. When the oil is hot, add bay leaf and cumin seeds.
When the cumin seeds begin to splutter in about 30 seconds add asafoetida.
Add onions. Keep stirring. Then add the ginger garlic paste.
When the onions turn golden in about 2 to 4 minutes add kashmiri chili powder and 1/4 cup water. Stir.
Then add ground turmeric, ground coriander, and ground cumin. Stir.
Add tomato puree, and salt. Give it a good stir. Let the tomatoes saute for about 2 minutes. Keep stirring. Then add 1 and 1/4 cup water and stir.
Then add chickpeas, and garam masala. Give it a good stir. You can add the Serrano pepper at this point. This is totally optional.
Press cancel. Secure the lid on the pot. Select manual and cook at high pressure for 60 minutes. When cooking is complete, use natural pressure release to depressurize. Add in the mango powder. Sauté for a few minutes until desired consistency is reached. Press cancel. Garnish with cilantro.
Serve over steamed rice.
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Here are some other fun recipes for you to try.
Instant Pot Potato, Green Beans and Bell Pepper Curry
Instant Pot Murg Cholay Masala
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Instant Pot Kala Chana – Indian Brown Chickpea Curry
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried brown chickpeas (kaala chana
soaked overnight in 2.5 cups water) - 4 tbsp oil of choice
- 1 dried bay leaf (tej patta)
- 1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
- 1/4 tsp asafoetida (heeng)
- 1/2 onion (large) (1 and 1/4 cups chopped finely)
- 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste (either freshly mined in equal quantities or store bought)
- 1 tsp kashmiri chili powder
- 1.5 cups water (divided)
- 1/4 tsp ground turmeric (haldi powder)
- 1 tbsp ground coriander (dhaniya powder)
- 1 tsp ground cumin (jeera powder)
- 1 and 1/2 tomato (pureed)
- 1 and 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1 Serrano pepper (small) hari mirch
- 1/2 tbsp mango powder (amchur/amchoor powder)
- 1/4 cup cilantro (rinsed and finely chopped)
Instructions
Prep
- Rinse and chop the onions and cilantro finely. Slit the Serrano pepper, and puree the tomatoes.
- Discard the water that was used to soak the chickpea overnight.
Cook
- When ready to cook, Select sauté on the instant pot and adjust to normal. Add oil to the pot. When the oil is hot, add bay leaf and cumin seeds.
- When the cumin seeds begin to splutter in about 30 seconds add asafoetida.
- Add onions. Keep stirring. Then add the ginger garlic paste.
- When the onions turn golden in about 2 to 4 minutes add kashmiri chili powder and 1/4 cup water. Stir.
- Then add ground turmeric, ground coriander, and ground cumin. Stir.
- Add tomato puree, and salt. Give it a good stir. Let the tomatoes saute for about 2 minutes. Keep stirring. Then add 1 and 1/4 cup water and stir.
- Add the brown chickpea, and garam masala. Give it a good stir. You can add the slit Serrano pepper (optional) at this point.
- Press cancel. Secure the lid on the pot. Select manual and cook at high pressure for 60 minutes. When cooking is complete, use natural pressure release to depressurize. Discard the bay leaf. Add in the mango powder. Saute for a few minutes until desired consistency is reached. Press cancel. Garnish with cilantro.
- Serve over steamed rice.
Notes
- On a scale of 1 to 5, in terms of spice levels, I would place this dish at a 4 with the Serrano pepper. You can eliminate the Serrano peppers if you cant tolerate heat.
- Without the Serrano peppers I would place this recipe at a level 2. Kashmiri chili powder imparts red color to the dish and is not very spicy.
- Kala chana tends to be hard even when pressure cooked as compared to garbanzo beans, or other lentils.
- Tip: Add a pinch of baking soda to soften the chana while pressure cooking. Sometimes if the chana is old it takes a long time to cook and baking soda helps soften it.
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