Dish of Bengal Gram Curry
(click to enlarge)

Chickpea Curry


India, Bihar   -   Ghughni
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 2 #
***
1-3/4 hrs
Yes		 Made with Desi type Chickpeas (Kala Chana, Bengal Gram), this is a rightfully famous curry from Bihar state, northeastern India. An excellent main dish, and vegetarian.

1
ar
1/2
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14
4
8
1/2
2
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1
1
1/2
1
1
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2
1
1/2
5
2
1
1
1
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2
1-1/2
1/2
c

T
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oz
oz
oz
in
cl
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t
t
t
t
t
-----
pod
pod
in



t

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T
c
T
Kala Chana (1)  
Water
Salt (2)
-- Aromatics
Tomatoes
Tomato Sauce (3)
Onion
Ginger Root
Garlic
-- Spices
Coriander seed
Chili Powder (4)
Turmeric
Garam Masala (5)
Salt
-- Tempering
Cardamom green
Cardamom black (6)
Cinnamon
Peppercorns blk
Cloves
Bay Leaf
Cumin Seed
Red Chili dry (7)
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Oil
Water
Do Ahead   -   (8 hrs - 5 min work)
  1. Soak KALA CHANA (whole beans) 8 hours or overnight with enough Water to keep them submerged and 1/2 T Salt. Drain and rinse well.
PREP   -   (35 min)
  1. Scald TOMATOES one minute in boiling water. Quench in cold water and peel. Chop small and mix with Tomato Sauce.
  2. Chop ONION small.
  3. Slice GINGER very thin and chop fine. Crush GARLIC and chop fine. Mix.
  4. Grind Coriander Seeds and mix together all Spices Items.
  5. Mix together all Tempering items (all spices remain whole).
  6. Squeeze LIME JUICE.
RUN   -   (1-1/4 hrs)
  1. In a spacious sauté pan (3 qt), kadhai, or wok, heat OIL fairly hot. Stir in Tempering mix and fry stirring just until aromatic, then immediately stir in Ginger/Garlic mix and fry stirring for about 30 seconds.
  2. Stir in Onions and sprinkle with a little salt (helps them brown evenly) and fry stirring until medium browned.
  3. Stir in Tomato Mix and Spices mix. Fry stirring until tomatoes are softened and not much liquid remains (see Note-8).
  4. Stir in Kala Chana and enough water to just cover. Bring to a boil and simmer until Chana is tender (about 55 minutes). Add water if needed (it should not be too dry) and adjust Salt, if needed.
  5. Crush some Chana to thicken the sauce - the amount to crush is up to you (about 1/2 cup in the photo example). Take off the heat and stir in Lime Juice.
  6. Serve hot with plenty of steamed Basmati rice or warm Roti.
NOTES:

  1. Kala Chana:

      [Desi type Chickpeas, Bengal Gram]   These can be found in markets serving an Indian community. Either the Red (as in the photo example) or the Dark Green can be used. for details see our Chickpeas (Bengal / Desi type). Regular Garbanzos (Kabuli Type Chana) could be used, but flavor and texture will be "less authentic".

  2. Salt:

      Tests have shown that beans soaked in salt brine will be more tender, cook faster and stay more intact than beans soaked without salt. For details see our Working with Legumes page.

  3. Tomato Sauce:

      This is not in the pattern recipe, but 4oz of a very simple tomato sauce helps make up for deficient tomatoes. My favorite is Faraon Spanish Style, which comes in convenient 8 oz cans, but other simple sauces will also work.

  4. Chili Powder

    Kashmir chili powder or a mild substitute (like Aleppo hot) would be appropriate for this northern recipe. For details see our Indian Chilis page.

  5. Garam Masala:

      This is the "standard" spice mix of India, made very differently in every region and somewhat differently in every household in each region. I use our Garam Masala - Bihar, but others won't ruin the dish.

  6. Cardamom Black:

      Very different from Green Cardamom. Preferably one of the smaller Indian type (still very much larger than the Green Cardamom) rather than the much larger Chinese type. For details see our Cardamom page.

  7. Red Chili Dry:

      This will have little effect on the hotness of the dish, so whether you use the standard Japone or a Yunan 7 Star will make little difference.

  8. Tomatoes:

      The pattern recipe, like most Indian and African recipes, calls for frying tomatoes "until the oil separates" (totally dry). They say this is to "remove the bitterness of the tomatoes". I have never detected bitterness in tomatoes. What this actually does is completely destroy the fresh tomato flavor, so I don't do it, and don't recommend you do it. In this case I say, "authenticity be damned". This may be a hold-over from the days when nightshade berries were cooked hard to detoxify them - tomatoes are nightshade berries.
  9. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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