Chatpate Kale Chane
Snacks at the evening time after a small afternoon siesta were always so looked forward to by us all kids during my childhood in Hyderabad. Mirchi ke bhajiye, Palak ki pakodi, Aloo ke bhajiye, Pyaz ki pakodi, Bhelpuri, Aloo cutlets with chutneys, Samosa, or a variety of Fruit-chaat etc are the usual typical Indian tea time snacks.
Black Chickpeas-Kala Chana ~ White Chickpeas-Kabuli Chana
Top-Pressure cooked Chana; Middle-Soaked Chana; Bottom-Dried Chana
There are two types of Chickpeas found in the market, black chickpeas called as Kala Chana in Urdu, and white chickpeas called as Kabuli Chana in Urdu. The black chickpeas are also sprouted and consumed in salads or lightly stir fried for a nutritious snack.
Note: Fresh chickpeas are green in color, in fuzzy pods, and are called as Hara Chana or Hari Boot. Have a look at them here. Fresh green chickpeas are sweetish in taste and taste awesome when dry roasted in pods in pans on stovetop until lightly charred, then shelled and eaten warm. When these green fresh chickpeas are dried in sun, they get dark in color with brown skin and rock like, called as the Kala Chana or Black Chickpeas. When these black chickpeas are skinned and split, we get Chana Dal or Bengal Gram. Instead when the black chickpeas are roasted and then skinned, we get Phula Chana, also referred to as Dalia or Bhuna Chana or Roasted Chana.
Spicy Black Chickpeas – Chatpate Kale Chane
During a recent visit to one of the grocery stores here, I spotted a bag of Kala chana which I quickly bought home and decided to enjoy them the way one of my aunt used to prepare during my childhood which I had always loved.
Spicy Black Chickpeas – Chatpate Kale Chane
Ingredients:
Dried Black Chickpeas/Kala Chana – 200 grams
Salt – 2 tsp
Canola oil – 1 tsp
Kalonji – 1 tsp
Dried red chilli – 1, whole
Cumin seeds/Zeera – 1 tsp
Red Ripe Tomato – 2, medium sized
Amchur powder – 1 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder – 1 1/2 tsp
Onion – finely chopped, for garnish
Cilantro – finely chopped, for garnish
Green chillies – finely chopped, for garnish
Method:
1. Wash and soak the dried kala chana covered overnight in cool fresh water.
2. The next day, drain the water and wash the kala chana in cool water. Drain and put them in a pressure cooker. Pour 1 glass of cool water and add salt into the cooker and pressure cook the chana until tender, around 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a pan at medium heat, pour oil and add the kalonji and zeera. As they splutter, add the tomatoes, stir and cover the pan for 2-3 minutes. Add the red chilli powder and amchur powder and stir them again. Add the pressure cooked kala chana with the water and stir gently to mix well, half cover the pan and let cook until it is mostly dry. Add a few more splashes of water if needed. Once done, the chana should be fairly dry.
4. Serve them into individual plates. Garnish with chopped onion, green chilli and cilantro. Enjoy with a cup of warm evening tea as a snack.
Luv,
Mona
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April 15th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
I LOVE Kale Chane. Kabooli chane, I like smaller Indian kind rather than the gigantic American ones! 😀
Chatpate chana looks mouthwatering! 🙂
April 15th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Droolworthy channa…lovely dish:)
April 15th, 2009 at 4:38 pm
Looks so fresh and tasty!
April 15th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
Thats a cute picture of channas… I love the curry too.. Thanks for sharing the recipe Mona.. will def. try it! 🙂
April 15th, 2009 at 8:53 pm
Lovely snack! Looks yummy.
April 16th, 2009 at 8:50 am
I love it, it looks fresh and healthy.
April 16th, 2009 at 10:51 am
i love chanas. i like chanas and you gave us simple recipe but with lots of information regarding chana which i believe never came across like this. thanks.
April 16th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Nice pics. looks healthy and yummy.
April 16th, 2009 at 4:59 pm
mmm.these kind of chane are my fav. ,and so healthy too:)
April 16th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
I looooooooove all kinds of chickpeas, and this recipe is just wonderful!
April 16th, 2009 at 8:40 pm
I love these dark chickpeas, and your recipe sounds super-flavorful. Thanks for sharing it.
April 17th, 2009 at 3:57 am
a very healthy snack… loved the first picture!
April 17th, 2009 at 5:57 am
I prefer Kala channa to kabuli ones as its got real nutty and rustic taste! and what a wonderful recipe and pics!
April 17th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
Hi Mona, I have shared an award with you in my blog.. Pls accept it 🙂
April 18th, 2009 at 11:56 am
Kala channa is a staple ingredient in my pantry.
Thanks for posting so many delicious vegan recipes!
April 20th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
I n my son n my friend like chana , its very easy n healthy dish , very easy to cook , thanks, allah bless u for shareing the recipies!
April 29th, 2009 at 11:41 am
Assalamualaikum Mona,
In this recipe you have written that the pressure cooked kale chane are to be added to the ‘baghaar’ of kalonji, zeera, etc, can we do the reverse, ie: add the baghaar to the chane, does it make any difference to the ultimate taste of the dish? Seems like a stupid question but I sometimes find in recipes that something more in qty is added to something less and i am used to doing the reverse, hehe.
And you know what? I am a regular visitor to your blog though i dont think i have written to you earlier. Sure this is a great blog. I am a Hyderabadi staying away from Hyderabad. So I often need quick help with some of the regular hyderabadi dishes as I have just started cooking….and I can’t keep calling my mother everytime hehe….so JazakAllah khair…and I hope this blog is here to stay.
Amina, You can add the baghaar to the chana. ~Mona
April 29th, 2009 at 11:43 am
and yeah….how much is “one cup” really?
Amina, I have updated the post with the ‘grams’ conversion for better understanding. ~Mona
May 3rd, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Mona, I just made this and it tastes yumm! The garnishes add a lot to the flavor of the dish and I’m having it with a dollop of dahi now :)Thank you for the recipe 🙂