Chana Ghashi (Black Chickpeas Curry)

top close up shot of konkani chana ghashi in a serving kadai

Chana Ghashi (Black Chickpeas Curry)

step by step recipe to make chana ghashi, which is konkani style black chickpea (coconut based) curry

Course Indian Curries, Main Course

Cuisine Indian, Konkani

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 15

Total Time 40

Servings

Calories 281kcal

Author Shantala Shenoy Nayak

Equipment

Indian Mixer

Ingredients

1 cup black chickpeas (kala chana)
3 cup water for pressure cooking

For making masala & curry

1½ cup grated coconut
3-4 whole dry red chillies or byadagi chillies roasted
1 marble size piece tamarind (chinch)
1¼ cup water divided
1¼-1½ teaspoon salt divided
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)

For tempering (tadka)

1½ tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds (rai)
¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi)
10 curry leaves (cadipatta)

Instructions

Prep for Chana Ghashi

Wash & rinse the black chickpeas well, and soak it in water overnight or for 8-10 hours.
Once it's well soaked, drain the water, wash & rinse again, and pressure cook it with fresh water for 4-5 whistles (till the chana is well boiled, and gets easily mashed with your fingers).

Making Coconut Masala

In a mixer, blend together the grated coconut, dried red chillies, tamarind, with a little water (¾ cup), and also a few spoons of boiled chickpeas, till you get a smooth paste.
Adding a few spoons of boiled chickpeas to coconut masala will help the masala blend better with the chickpeas when making the curry.

Making Chana Ghashi

In a pot, add the boiled chickpeas, along with the water in which it was pressure cooked, salt (1 tsp) & turmeric powder, give everything a quick mix, and bring it to a light boil on medium heat. This should take only a few minutes.
Then to this add the coconut masala, some fresh water to adjust the consistency of the curry, and salt if required.
Mix everything well, and bring it to a proper boil on medium heat.

Tempering (tadka)

In a tadka pan, heat up a little coconut oil, and add in the mustard seeds.
When the mustard seeds start fluttering, add in the fenugreek seeds, and curry leaves, and give everything a quick mix, and roast it lightly.
Then add this tadka to the curry, and mix well.
Chana Ghashi is ready to be served.

Video

Notes

You can use either whole dried red chillies or byadagi chillies. Red chillies are spicier and byadagi chillies will give more color. I use whatever I have available, but I usually use a blend of two for a balance of spice and color.
If you don't have tamarind block then you can use tamarind pulp or paste too.

Variation

In this recipe of chana ghashi, I have only used black chickpeas, but people commonly combine kadgi (raw jackfruit) or suran (elephant's foot / yam) with chickpeas to make this curry.

If you want to try, then pressure cook the jackfruit or yam separately (as the time for pressure cooking jackfruit & yam is different from chickpeas), and then mix it along with the pressure cooked chickpeas, and proceed with the recipe as is, ensuring to appropriately adjust the quantity of other ingredients & flavorings.

Please note: The nutrition values are best estimates provided as a courtesy. The exact values can vary depending on the exact ingredients or brands used. If you rely on them for your specific diet and/or health issues, please consult a registered dietician or nutritionist.

Nutrition