Bihari Kala Chana

This Bihari kala chana is a smoky black chickpea dish made the way my family eats it. It’s full of the good stuff and so comforting!

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Kala chana (black chickpeas) are commonly used in Indian cuisine. Throughout the country, you’ll find several regional variations. Compared to chickpeas, black chickpeas are more firm, smoky, and nutty. Here is the recipe for my family’s version of Bihari kala chana!

Bihari Kala Chana

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Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 40 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup black chickpeas, soaked overnight or 8 hours
  • 1 tbsp avocado oil, another neutral oil, or mustard oil
  • ½ tsp cumin seeds optional
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 red onion, finely chopped
  • 2 inches ginger
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 1 cup tomato paste (~ 2 tomatoes)
  • salt to taste
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • ½ tsp red chili powder
  • ½ tsp garam masala
  • 2 cups water

Instructions
 

  • Heat oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and bay leaf. Stir for a minute, making sure that the seeds don't burn.
  • Add onions and cook until translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add ginger-garlic paste and cook until the raw ginger smell dissipates, so 2-3 minutes.
  • Add tomato paste and cook until the tomato juices mostly evaporate. Add salt and all the ground spices. Allow it to form a thick paste in the pan.
  • To a pressure cooker or Instant Pot, add kala chana (black chickpeas), the tomato-spice mixture, and water. Pressure cook on medium for 15-20 minutes, but this depends on how long your kala chana soaked for and your cooker. It is too thin, cook off some of the water for longer after it is done pressure cooking.
Keyword chickpeas, dal, Indian food, Indian recipes

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