Dry chana is one of the basic recipe made with chickpeas in a south Indian style. It can be served with rice or roti.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 5 minutes
  • Cook time: 25 minutes
  • Total time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 3
  • Category: Side
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 2 cups chickpeas ((cooked, or 1 cup dry chana))
  • ½ tsp red chili powder ((adjust to taste))
  • 1 sprig curry leaves
  • 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
  • 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
  • 1 green chili (slit or chopped)
  • ⅛ tsp turmeric ((or as needed))
  • ½ tsp mustard seeds (optional)
  • ½ tsp cumin seeds ((jeera))
  • 1 tbsp oil (or ghee)
  • ½ tsp salt ((adjust to taste))
  • 1 tsp garam masala (or kitchen king masala)

Method

Cooking chana

  1. Soak chana overnight or 8 hours. Drain and rinse them well.
  2. Add them to a pressure cooker or pot along with turmeric. To cook them faster, you can also add a pinch of soda-bi-carbonate. This is optional.
  3. If using pressure cooker, pour 1 cup water. If not using soda, pressure cook for 6 to 8 whistles on a medium heat. With soda, pressure cook just for 1 to 2 whistles. If cooking in a pot, start with 2 cups water. Add more if needed as you cook them.
  4. They are ready when they are completely cooked, soft and tender. Chana should not be al dente but should be soft enough yet hold their shape.

Making dry chana

  1. Heat the pan with oil, add mustard, jeera, chili, curry leaves & hing. Let them splutter.
  2. Add ginger garlic paste and saute quickly to remove the raw smell. Add the cooked channa.
  3. Add garam masala, salt, turmeric and red chili powder. Mix well. Saute for a minute. Any left over water from the cooked chickpeas can be poured and evaporated.
  4. Taste test and add more spices and salt to your taste. Transfer dry chana to a serving bowl. Squeeze some lemon juice and serve as a side.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.