These easy black chickpeas, also known as sukhe kale chane or dry kala chana, are packed with warm Indian spices and cooked until perfectly flavorful and dry. Made without onions or tomatoes, this simple recipe is perfect when you want a wholesome, satisfying meal with minimal preparation.
Packed with protein and fiber, chickpeas make the perfect base for both savory meals and sweet treats. Try sweet roasted chickpea balls for an energy-boosting snack!
🔍Quick Look: Kale CHANE
- ⏱️ Total Time: 30 minutes
- 🥣 Serves: 4
- 📊 Calories: ~365 kcal per serve
- ⭐ Cooking Method: Pressure and stovetop
- 📌 Pro-Tip: Cook a large batch ahead of time and freeze them for quick use in salads, chaats, soups, or snacks whenever you need them.
Black chickpeas are rich in fiber and protein, making them a wholesome addition to any meal.
What are sukhe kale chane?
Sukhe kale chane means dry black chickpeas cooked with spices without a thick gravy or curry sauce. "Sukhe" means dry, while kale chane, also called kala chana, refers to black or brown chickpeas.
In this recipe, the chickpeas are first cooked until tender with aromatic spices. They are then stir-fried with cumin, oil, and ghee until most of the cooking liquid evaporates, creating deliciously spiced dry chickpeas.
If you love this black chickpeas recipe, you might also enjoy dry white lentils and black lentils, which are also packed with plant protein and fiber and perfect for wholesome meal prep.
Reasons to try kala chana
Easy to make: No onion or tomato chopping is needed.
Full of flavor: Simple Indian spices make the chickpeas delicious and aromatic.
Naturally gluten-free: A great option for a gluten-free meal.
Versatile: Enjoy them as a main dish, snack, salad topping, or use leftovers in other recipes.
Perfect for meal prep: Cook a batch and enjoy it in different ways throughout the week.
Jump to:
Ingredients
To make dry black chickpeas, you need the following ingredients:
Use dried black chickpeas, kala chana, or brown chickpeas. Soak them overnight, or for at least 8-10 hours, before cooking. Soaking helps the chickpeas cook more evenly and become tender.
I like using a combination of oil and ghee for extra flavor. However, you can use only oil or substitute the ghee with butter if preferred.
Adding ghee or butter brings a wonderful aroma and rich flavour to many dishes. If you enjoy cooking with these ingredients, try my ghee bhuna chicken masala, sooji halwa cooked with ghee, or butter chicken masala, made with butter.
For the spices, use basic Indian spices such as turmeric, salt, red chilli powder, and garam masala. Chana masala, a flavourful spice blend, adds depth to the chickpeas, while chaat masala adds a slightly tangy flavour that really lifts the dish.
See the recipe card for more information!
How to cook black chickpeas?
The first and most important step is to soak the chickpeas overnight, or for at least 9-10 hours, in plenty of water. Don't skip this step, as without soaking, the chickpeas will be slightly harder after cooking and will take much longer to cook.
Drain the soaked chickpeas and add them to a pressure cooker along with ginger, garlic, turmeric, salt, red chilli powder, garam masala, chana masala, and water.
Close the lid and cook on medium heat until the chickpeas are tender. Depending on your pressure cooker and the age of the chickpeas, this may take around 4-5 whistles or longer. Allow the pressure to release naturally before opening the cooker.
Heat oil and ghee in a pan. Add cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle. Carefully add the cooked chickpeas along with some of their cooking liquid. Keep the heat low initially to avoid splattering.
Increase the heat and cook while stirring occasionally until the excess liquid evaporates. Sprinkle in the chaat masala and add the chopped green chillies.
Continue cooking for a few minutes until the chickpeas reach the preferred dry consistency.
Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro and serve!
Serving
These dry black chickpeas are delicious with:
- Steamed rice
- Cumin rice
- Roti or chapati
- Plain Paratha
- P00ri
- A side of yogurt or raitas such as cucumber raita, vegetable raita, and boondi raita.
Add them to salads for extra texture and protein.
Enjoy black chana as chaat for a light snack.
Leftover Advice
Don't let leftovers go to waste! Here are a few delicious ways to use them:
Make chana chaat: Add chopped onion, tomatoes, lemon juice, and your favorite chaat seasonings.
Add them to salads: They make salads more filling and satisfying.
Make a quick curry: Add water and your favorite curry ingredients to turn into a simple chickpea curry.
Add them to rice dishes: Stir them into pulao or rice for extra flavor and texture.
Use as stuffing: Mash the chickpeas and use them in sandwiches, wraps, parathas, or pies.
FAQs
Asthami is an auspicious occasion of Kanjak Pooja, a traditional Indian festival in which people worship little girls and give them gifts, along with food. For Asthami, people always prepare food without garlic & onions. So this recipe is not suitable for Asthami.
FODMAPs are short-chain carbohydrates (sugars) that the small intestine absorbs poorly. Some people experience digestive distress after eating them.
Black chickpeas are high in FODMAPs. This recipe calls for chickpeas and garlic. Both of these are high in FODMAPs, so avoid black chickpeas if you follow the FODMAP diet.
Black chickpeas are legumes, and like most beans, they're rich in carbohydrates. Even though they're high in fiber and protein, their carb count can easily push you out of ketosis.
You can cook unsoaked chana, but expect longer cooking time, firmer texture, and possible digestive discomfort. Soaking is always best for taste, texture, and nutrition.
The best way is to soak them overnight or at least 9-10 hours before cooking. Soaking helps them absorb water and reduces cooking time.
Tips
Use plenty of water when soaking. Black chickpeas absorb a significant amount of water.
Adjust the chillies to your taste. You can also use 2-ingredient chilli oil instead of regular oil for extra spice.
Don't dry them out too much. Cook until the liquid has mostly evaporated, but stop when you reach a texture you enjoy.
More Indian Flavors
Looking for Indian-inspired recipes? Try these:
🧾Recipe
Sukhe Kale Chane Recipe (Black Chickpeas)
↑ Click stars to rate now!
Equipment
- Pressure cooker
- Stovetop
- pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup black chickpeas
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 inch ginger grated
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1 tablespoon chana masala
- 2.5 cup water
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 2 tablespoon ghee
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala
- 2 chopped green chillies
- cilantro
Instructions
- Soak the black chickpeas in water overnight or for at least 7-8 hours.
- Drain the black chickpeas, add them into the pressure cooker along with garlic, ginger, salt, turmeric, red chilli powder, garam masala, chana masala, and water into the pressure cooker.
- Stir well. Close the lid and cook until 4-5 whistles on medium heat.
- Heat oil and ghee over low heat in a pan. Add cumin seeds and turn aromatic.
- Pour in cooked black chickpeas with water. Keep the heat low while adding the black chickpeas to the pan to avoid splattering.
- Turn the heat to high. Add chana masala and green chillies.
- Cook until the chickpeas reach your desired consistency.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice or paratha!
Video
Notes
- Always soak chickpeas in a large bowl with plenty of water, as they tend to absorb a lot while soaking.
- Adjust the chillies to your taste. You can also use 2-ingredient chilli oil instead of regular oil for extra spice.
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Nutrition
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nancy says
what a great way to make chickpeas
Jean says
I love stir fry chickpeas but not this kind of black chickpeas yet, I enjoy Indian spices and will be trying this.
Abhi says
Thanks, Jean!
Meghan says
I've been looking for recipes that use chickpeas and this sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Abhi says
Thanks, Meghan! I am sure you will like these chickpeas