Kala Chana Masala or Sukhe Kale Chane (Spiced Brown Chickpeas)

Kala Chana Masala or Sukhe Kale Chane as it is more popularly known, is a quick and simple recipe made by sauteing boiled brown chickpeas in a mix of spices. It is a much drier version of the regular chickpea curry and slightly tangier in flavour as well. This dish is usually eaten as a breakfast meal in most parts of Northern India and also as a more filling snack.

This Kala Chana Masala recipe is a perfect dish to make ahead and as keeps well in the fridge for about a week or the freezer for a month. When you’re ready to eat, simply heat it up and garnish with fresh coriander leaves and a sprinkle of lemon juice. Add your favourite hot beverage of choice, surround yourself with your favourite people, and you have a wonderful start to the perfect weekend!

Hubby Dear and I have always believed that sleeping is a sport, and ever since we got married, we have tried to outdo the other on how long we can sleep in over the weekends. Well, that was, of course, until Baby Dear was born. What can I say, the kid HATES to sleep – always did, and continues to do so. So while our entire neighbourhood wakes up leisurely on a Saturday morning and slowly begins their day pouring a glass of cold orange juice from the fridge, the three of us would be in the midst of planning out our lunch.

Baby Dear wakes up beady-eyed at the crack of dawn, jumps out of his bed and sprints to our room yelling, ‘Weekend’s here!’. And then THUD! He plops himself comfortably under our covers, rubs his tummy and asks the dreaded question, ‘What’s for breakfast guys?’

Breakfast has never been my thing. I wake up each morning with the desire of only a freshly brewed warm cup of coffee, and I’m roaring to go. Weekends, on the other hand, are slightly different. The three of us love starting our Saturdays with a hearty breakfast, and this Kala Chana recipe finds its way onto our table every few weeks. Almost every other week, we find ourselves at some quaint little café digging into buttered toasts and eggs or warm maple syrup poured over pancakes, with copious amounts of coffee for us and milk or fresh juice for Baby Dear. Treating ourselves to breakfast out is definitely something we look forward to and cherish.

But on days like this past weekend, where the slow pitter-patter of raindrops splashed on our window and the gloomy weather made us want to put on warm fuzzy socks and snuggle on the couch, I love digging into my repertoire of special hot Indian breakfasts. Breakfast in India is always a big deal – be it any day of the week, and there is no dearth of options when it comes to a plate of piping hot healthy meals to start the day with. One of our family favourites is this Sukhe Kale Chane which is a spicy stir-fry of tiny brown chickpeas, quite different in taste and texture from their larger white counterpart.

Print Recipe

Kala Chana Masala/Sukhe Kale Chane (Spiced Brown Chickpeas)

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time25 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Author: Meena, www.hookedonheat.com

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp light cooking oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
• 1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
• 1 large onion finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
• 1 tsp amchoor powder
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• salt to taste
• 2 cups dried brown chickpeas soaked for at least 5-6 hours and boiled till tender
• finely chopped fresh coriander leaves for garnish
• wedges of fresh lemon for garnish

Instructions

• Heat oil in a large heavy bottomed pan and add in cumin seeds. As soon as they start to sizzle, sauté ginger, garlic and onions until lightly browned and tender.
• Mix in spices, tomato paste and salt, and fry for a minute or two to mix well with the onions.
• Add in cooked chickpeas, give it a good mix and cook covered to 2-3 minutes on low heat so that the flavours can penetrate throughout. Add in a splash of water and give it amix again if it starts to stick to the bottom of the pan.
• Garnish with fresh cilantro and lemon wedges, and serve warm.

This post was originally published in November 2014 and has been recently updated.

If you liked this Kala Chana Masala or Sukha Kale Chane recipe, I’m sure you will love my Instant Pot Chole, Chana Aloo and Pindi Chana as well.

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