South Indian Style Chana Masala | Chana Kurma - Vidhya’s Vegetarian Kitchen

chana kurma served in two white bowls served with roti

5 from 3 votes

South Indian Style Chana Masala | Chana Kurma

This chana masala or chana kurma prepared with chickpeas is a flavorful gravy and perfect for any flatbreads, especially poori and roti/chapati.

Prep Time10

Cook Time1

Soaking Time8

Total Time9 10

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: chana kurma, chana masala

Servings:

Calories: 264kcal

Author: Srividhya G

Equipment

1 Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker

Ingredients

Measurement Details: 1 cup = 240ml; 1 tbsp = 15ml; 1 tsp = 5ml;

1 cup chickpeas dried
¼ tsp turmeric
2.5 cups water plus 4 cups of water to soak the beans
3 tsp oil divided
1 onion approx 128 grams chopped, divided
1 tomato approx 75 grams chopped
3 cardamom
3 cloves
2 green chilies
2- inch cinnamon piece
6 mint leaves optional
¼ cup coconut
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
½ red chili powder
1 tsp fennel seeds
5 curry leaves
2 tsp salt
½ tsp sugar
2 tbsp cilantro chopped

Instructions

Rinse the chickpeas and soak them in 3 to 4 cups of water for 6 to 8 hours.
Discard the water and add 2.5 cups of fresh water and ¼ tsp of turmeric powder.
Pressure cook the chickpeas for three whistles and let the pressure subside naturally. Do not discard the chickpeas water now.
Heat a pan and add one tsp of oil. Add the onion (½ of the onion), cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom when the oil is hot. Saute for a few minutes; add the green chilies and saute until the onion turns soft.
Then add the chopped tomatoes and mint leaves and saute for two minutes—no need to cook for a long time after adding tomatoes. Turn off the heat and add the coconut. Let this mixture cool.
Transfer the cooked onion-tomato-spice mix to a mixer jar. Add the ginger garlic paste, red chili powder, garam masala, and ¼ to ⅓ cup of cooked chickpeas.
Grind this into a smooth paste by adding ¼ to ⅓ cup of the chickpeas brine and set it aside.
Heat the same pan at medium and add the remaining 2 tsps of oil. When the oil is hot, add the fennel seeds, curry leaves, and the remaining half of the onion and saute until the onion turns soft. (The pan slightly turned black as I used the same pan I used for sauteing the masala for the gravy without washing. I did not burn the gravy. )
Add the ground masala, ½ cup of water (I rinsed the mixer jar with ½ cup of water and added the same), and salt. Mix well.
Cook this masala for 5 to 7 minutes.
Then add the chickpeas along with the water.
Mix well, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer the gravy for 10 minutes. The gravy will thicken as we have added ground chickpeas too.
Finally, add the cilantro and mix well and turn off the heat. Chana masala is ready. Serve it with the flatbread of your choice.

Video

Notes

Adjust the water as per your consistency preference.
I don't discard the water that I used for cooking the chickpeas. I use the same for grinding the masala and for the gravy.
Typically, we add nuts like cashews or roasted gram to thicken the kurma. But as we grind some cooked chickpeas, we don't need to add additional nuts.
Adjust the salt and spices to taste. You can use either green chilies or red chili powder for the spice.
If using canned chickpeas, use two cans. You can use the brine or discard it. If discarding the brine, use regular water. You need 2 cups of water. Also, if using canned chickpeas, add the turmeric powder while preparing the masala.
Also, with other whole spices, you can add ¼ tsp black stone flower powder or a small piece of black stone flower.

Nutrition