Jump to the Kala Chana or Kalay Chanay Recipe
It is Day 3 of Fasting guys. For those of you who are not familiar with the concept, in the month of Ramadan, a month in the lunar Muslim calendar, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. In Canada that means a whopping 17 hour fast. No food, no water. For those of you familiar with fasts and keeping them, I hope yours are going well. This is my first year of Ramzan in a long time where both kids are in school and I have decided to take advantage of that to alter my regular schedule to include a nap. It is going a long way to compensate for the sleep I lose at night when I wake up for Sehri/Suhoor (the predawn meal). Fingers crossed that the rest of the fasts go as these have. 
Speaking of changes, I have also recently started really enjoying Kala Chana or Kalay Chanay, a black chickpea variety readily available in South Asian stores. Kalay Chanay + Dahi Baray are pretty much my dream combo and if I have those two then I am set. I like them for lunch as much as for breaking my fast. They have a deeper flavour than regular chickpeas and the texture is also such that they retain their shape and never become mushy.
They do take AGES to cook though which is why they are a natural fit for an Instant Pot or a pressure cooker. I soak mine overnight out of habit. If you can't soak for a few hours and add eight minutes extra of time. Poof. Magic.
Kala Chana or Kalay Chanay
Ingredients
- 2 cups black chickpeas or kalay chanay
- 1 onion, diced
- ¾ tsp cumin seeds
- 1.5 tsp ginger paste
- 1.5 tsp garlic paste
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1-2 diced tomatoes (I prefer one)
- 2-3 tbsp tamarind pulp
- 1 tsp Garam Masala powder
Garnish
- Cilantro
- Green Chillies
Instructions
- Soak your black chickpeas overnight, rinse the water off.
- Heat oil in your IP/Pressure Cooker. For IP Saute on Medium.
- Saute cumin seeds till you can really smell them sizzling and then add the diced onions
- Cook stirring occasionally till slightly golden then add the ginger and garlic pastes and saute for a minute
- Then add the Salt, Red Chilli Powder, Coriander Powder, Turmeric, and stir fry for a minute
- Add the diced tomato and saute until it's cooked to a rich paste
- Add the black chickpeas, stir to cook and then add 2 ½ cups of hot water to your Instant Pot and set it on Manual for 25 minutes . Let it release naturally
- Check the consistency, saute to reduce water or add water and bring to a boil according to your personal preference
- Then add the tamarind pulp and garam masala, let simmer for 2-3 minutes then garnish with desired toppings.
Notes
Looking for more Ramadan classics? Jump back to my last post and check them out!
When did you add the tomatoes?
SO sorry! I added them after the dry spices. Updating the recipe now!
Hi, do you add baking soda when you soak the channas?
Hi, thanks for coming by! I do not add baking soda 🙂
So made the kalay channay and must say they were perfect. Thank you for sharing the recipe,
Am so glad you thought so! thank you for taking the time to share your feedback!
Just made these kalay chanay for iftar today and they were a hit. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Thank you Samreen! I am so happy to hear it!
Having been making Kaalay Channay from Amma's recipe but today I am trying yours. Can't wait to devour it
Hope you liked it!!!
Luv kalay Chaney but have never added tamarind .... must try this week !!!
It adds such great flavour!
I wanted to clarify that if you’re not able to soak overnight you should soak for a few hours and then add 8 mins or is the added 8 minutes for chanai not soaked at all?
soaking always makes it easier, but you are okay to not soak
Thanks so much for this recipe! Made them yesterday and they were perfect. Dried out the water a bit...Layered them with khattay aloos, spooned over some yogurt and papri and the combo was divine.
wow that sounds SO SO good!!!!! thanks for sharing that here!
I don’t have pressure cooker. I soaked overnight. Then boiled the next day for 25 minutes. They were softened. Then I followed your recipe. Thank you
Thanks for sharing the timing Rani!
Do you start with two cups dry channa?
Yup!
Hi could I use these kala chana in your chicken and chickpea recipe?
Hi Shanaz - I haven't ever had that exact combo, but I can see how it would work. The only downside that I can anticipate is that because of their skin kala chana doesn't become as soft as regular chana