Instant Pot: Brothy and Fragrant Black Chickpea Curry, Kala Chana

October 29, 2026 2 Comments

BLACK CHICKPEAS ARE QUITE AN EXPERIENCE!

Most have never had the true experience of tasting a black chickpea in all its glory — in a brothy curry. Though you may have eaten it in another form and just never realized it. Dark brown (though they do come green as well), small, and tougher in texture than the white chickpea or garbanzo bean, the black chickpea or kala chana has a meaty texture and deep, smoky taste profile when cooked into a stew. It creates such a beautifully fragrant broth that I would have a ‘system’ for it when I was a little girl.

I still remember sitting at our wooden butcher block counter in our Pennsylvania kitchen waiting for my mother to pour a serving of steaming hot kala chana into a stainless steel katori. My freshly made basmati rice was already on my plate waiting for the ritual that was specific to this pairing. I would hold back the chickpeas and pour the dark, delicious broth over my rice, add a little butter, and gobble it up with a spiced lemony onion chaser. My mouth still waters thinking of all those flavors mixing so beautifully on my plate and on my palette. Then would come the scolding from my mother to eat the chickpeas themselves, which had all the protein and fiber, but were a slightly different experience.

They hold up so well after cooking you’d almost think they were still uncooked, but mash one between two fingers, and they are smashable — just not the way a white chickpea or kabuli chana will break down. That’s why the broth from cooking black chickpeas is always thin — they do not break down no matter how long you cook them. That’s also why they hold up so well in a salad, or chaat.

Why do I say you’ve probably eaten a black chickpea and never realized it? Because it’s the source for traditional chickpea flour or besan and for chana dal. That makes sense — chana is the word for chickpea and dal is the word for cooked legumes. Remove the outer skin of a black chickpea and then split it and you’ll have chana dal! Why that’s incredibly interesting is that chana dal is actually known to be one of the lowest glycemic foods you can eat. It comes in at eight on the glycemic index, whereas most vegetables come in at 15 or above and most other legumes log in at 25 or above. The lower that number, the more slowly the food will break down after you eat it into sugar in your bloodstream.

If you are looking for a food option as a diabetic or simply as someone who wants to eat healthier, some form of the kala chana is a terrific option. I like to eat this curry at least three to four times a week to stay full and stick with my eating and weight goals — it’s made a huge difference. And, I’ve learned to love the chickpeas as much as the broth!

xoxo Anupy 

Instant Pot: Brothy and Fragrant Black Chickpea Curry, Kala Chana

Electric Pressure Cooker Size: 3Q or larger
Warm-Up: 20 minutes – Cook: 45 minutes* – Cool Down: 10 mins NR + MR
Total: 1 hour 15 minutes + MR time
Makes: 8 cups

Ingredients

• 2 cups kala chana (dried black chickpeas), picked over and washed
  
• 1 tablespoon oil or ghee
  
• 1 pinch hing (asafoetida), optional
  
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
  
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
  
• 1 small yellow or red onion, ground
  
• 1 (2-inch) piece ginger, ground**
  
• 4 cloves of garlic, ground
  
• 1-6 Thai or serrano chiles, stems removed and thinly sliced
• 1 large tomato, ground or pureed
  
• 2 tablespoons unsalted tomato paste
  
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
  
• 1-2 teaspoons red chile powder or cayenne pepper
  
• 1 tablespoon salt
  
• 4 cups water
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice, optional
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Instructions

1. Soak the chana in ample boiled, hot water for at least 1 hour or in room temperature water for 6 hours to overnight. Drain and discard the water.
2. Place the inner pot in your Instant Pot. Select the SAUTE setting and adjust to MORE. When the indicator flashes HOT, add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the hing and cumin. Stir and cook for 1 minute until the seeds turn reddish brown. Because the oil pools to the sides, push the spices into the oil along the border of the inner pot so they can cook fully.
3. Add the turmeric. Stir and cook for 30 seconds.
4. Add the onion. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
5. Add the ginger, garlic, and fresh chiles. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
6. Press CANCEL. Add the tomato, tomato paste, garam masala, red chile powder, salt, chana, and cooking water. Stir.
7. Lock the lid into place and make sure the pressure release valve is set to the sealing position (upwards). Press the PRESSURE COOK button and then press the PRESSURE LEVEL button until the panel reads HIGH. Adjust the cook time to 45 minutes.
8. Once the cooking is complete, release the pressure naturally for 10 minutes. Then manually release the remaining pressure, press CANCEL, and remove the lid. Add lemon juice if using and stir. Garnish with the cilantro and serve with basmati rice or eat with Indian bread like puri. All the spices are edible.
   

Notes

*This recipe is from page 86 of my book Instant Pot Indian, where I recommend cooking it for 35 minutes. Though I came up with the cook time after testing it at least a dozen times, this recipe needed to cook longer. Because you can’t really overcook black chickpeas, I added 10 minutes. Chickpea cook times can vary — experiment and see where you land. 
**The ginger and garlic can be ground together.

More Like This Recipe

• Stovetop: Kala Chana with Punjabi Masala
• Food Processor: Kala Chana Hummus (Black Chickpeas)
• Slow Cooker Kala Chana: Punjabi Black Chickpeas

Watch Me Make It

[[ recipeID=recipe-2mvtp6btw, title=Instant Pot: Brothy and Fragrant Black Chickpea Curry, Kala Chana ]]

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