South Indian Chana Masala / Channa Kurma

5 from 28 votes

South Indian Chana Masala / Channa Kurma

South Indian chana masala is a flavorful chickpea curry made with white chickpeas, fresh coconut, and whole spices, resulting in a dish distinct from its North Indian counterpart, chole masala. Whole aromatic spices give this vegan and gluten-free curry a unique taste and flavor. Perfect with Indian bread, rice, dosa, or poori, this South Indian twist on chana masala is sure to delight your palate.

Prep Time10

Cook Time40

Total Time50

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free, Hindu, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 285kcal

Author: Shilpa Kerur

Equipment

Instant Pot

Ingredients

2 cups dried chickpeas
2 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1-2 bay leaf
1 sprig curry leaves
2-3 cloves garlic
1 small piece ginger
1-2 green chili slit
1 large onion
½ cup tomato puree
2 teaspoon salt adjust as per taste
4 cups water divided
¼ cup cilantro

To grind together:

6-7 dried red chili mild version
5-6 cloves
2-3 green cardamom
2 sticks cinnamon
2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 small piece tamarind
½ cup coconut fresh or frozen
½ teaspoon turmeric powder

Instructions

Prep:

Soak the dried chickpeas in water for 6-8 hours (or overnight). Drain all the water and rinse in fresh water 2-3 times. Set it aside.
In a mixie jar or grinder, take dried red chili, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon sticks, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, and poppy seeds. Grind into a fine powder.
To this powder, add tamarind, coconut, turmeric powder, and jaggery. Add ½ cup of water and grind into a smooth paste. Set it aside.

Making the curry:

Set the Instant Pot in saute mode and heat the oil. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter.
Next, add bay leaves, curry leaves, ginger, garlic, and green chili. Saute for one minute.
Add the onions and saute for 3 minutes, until the onion turns translucent.
Add the tomato puree and ground masala paste. Mix well and saute for 5 minutes.
Drain the soaked and washed chickpeas. Add it along with 3½ cups of water.
Mix well and secure the lid of the IP. Set the IP in pressure cook mode for 25 minutes.
Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then do a quick release of the pressure.
Open the lid and mix well. Top with cilantro and serve hot.

Video

Notes

Use whole spices to make authentic-tasting South Indian chana curry. However, if you do not have access to whole spices, use ground spices instead, although this may alter the taste of the curry when you use spice powders.

Grind the whole spices into a powder before adding coconut to make the masala paste. This will ensure no big bits of spices end up in the curry.

For dried chickpeas, soak overnight and use the soaking water. If short on time, canned chickpeas are an option; drain and rinse them before use. When using raw dried chickpeas, soak two cups to yield five cups of soaked chickpeas for this recipe. If using canned chickpeas, measure six cups of canned chickpeas and adjust the pressure cooking time to five minutes.

Nutrition