Eastern Indian Curries

Kala Chana Ghugni (Indian Brown Chickpea curry)

Ghugni – tender brown chickpeas in a flavorful curry topped with crunchy onion and fresh cilantro – is a delicious meal served with flatbread, roti, or crackers.

  • Ready 2 hours
  • Serves 4
  • Prep 15 minutes
  • Cook 1 hour
Jump to the recipe
Kala Chana Ghugni (Indian Brown Chickpea curry)

Ghugni – tender brown chickpeas(desi Chana) in a flavorful onion curry topped with crunchy onion and fresh cilantro – is a delicious meal served with flatbread, roti, or crackers.

Ghugni is a flavorful Indian bean curry. Variations of ghugni are made in the Indian states of Bihar, Odissa, Uttar Pradesh, bengal. The most popular version uses dried white peas. This ghugni uses brown chickpeas(kala chana or desi Chana) and is inspired from the Uttar Pradesh version.

You cook the brown chickpeas (aka kala chana) in the Instant Pot or other pressure cooker, then simmer them in a deeply-seasoned sauce. The brown chickpeas are toothsome compared to creamy white chickpeas and they pair well with the delicious onion sauce. This is a dryish dish served as a snack or part of meal, served with onion, cilantro, cumin, and plenty of fresh lime juice!

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ghugni garnished with onions, cilantro, and cumin in a bowl with flatbread

Why You’ll Love Ghugni

  • tender brown chickpeas in an addictive, easy-to-make curry sauce
  • protein-and fiber-packed
  • naturally gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free
  • versatile – use other chickpeas or beans, if you prefer!
close-up of ghugni garnished with onions, cilantro, and cumin in a bowl

More Chickpea Curries

brown chickpeas, vegg, and spices in bowls on the kitchen counter

Ingredients and Substitutions

  • brown chickpeas – Also called kala chana or desi Chana Make sure to soak them overnight. You can also use white chickpeas, other beans, or dried white peas to make this recipe.
  • oil – To toast the cumin seeds and to saute.
  • spices – Cumin seeds, bay leaves, turmeric, cayenne or Indian red chili powder, cumin, coriander, and black pepper add so much flavor to brown chickpeas!
  • aromatics – Onion, green chili, and ginger-garlic paste add even more layers of amazing flavor.
  • garnishes – Crunchy fresh onion, zesty cilantro, aromatic toasted cumin, and plenty of lime juice add a fresh flavor profile that makes this simple bean curry so addictive!

Tips

  • Definitely soak the beans. Soaking significantly shortens the cooking time.
  • Make sure that the cumin seeds have darkened quite a bit in color when you’re toasting them. That is how you’ll know that they have that really good, roasted flavor.

How to Make Kala Chana Ghugni

Soak the brown chickpeas if you haven’t already then drain. Add them to an Instant Pot or a pressure cooker and add two cups of water. Close the lid and pressure cook for one hour (on bean mode) or pressure cook for 45 minutes in a regular stovetop pressure cooker over medium heat.

brown chickpeas in the Instant Pot, before cooking

Once the pressure cooker is done, release the pressure naturally for 10 minutes then quick release. Open the lid and check if the chickpeas are cooked. Drain and reserve the cooking water. Set the drained chickpeas aside.

brown chickpeas and water in the Instant Pot, after cooking

Make the sauce by heating the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot add the cumin seeds and mix in. Cook until the cumin seeds change color and darken significantly.

toasting cumin seeds in the frying pan

Then add the bay leaves, all the ground spices, sliced onion, and a good pinch of salt and mix in. Cook the onion for six to eight minutes until golden, add splashes of water in between if the onion is drying out too much.

adding onion and dried spices to the frying pan

Once the onion is cooked, add the ginger-garlic paste and green chili and mix in. Cook for another minute then add the salt, cooked brown chickpeas, and 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the reserved water and mix in.

onion in the frying pan, after cooking
adding the cooked brown chickpeas to the pan

Cover and cook for six to eight minutes and mix again. Taste and adjust salt and flavor. Switch off the heat.

ghugni after cooking in the frying pan

To serve transfer the cooked chickpeas to a serving bowl and garnish with chopped cilantro and red onion. Sprinkle the toasted ground cumin and add some lime juice as needed and serve.

ghugni garnished with onions and cilantro in the frying pan

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently asked questions

Can I use canned chickpeas in this recipe?

Yes. Skip the first cooking step and directly add drained canned chickpeas to the sauce

Is this recipe allergy friendly?

Ghugni is naturally gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free as written.

What is ghugni?

Ghugni is an Indian chickpea or pea curry with lots of amazing spices. There are many ways to make it, depending on the region.

Can I cook brown chickpeas in saucepan?

Yes. Add 4 times the water and cover and cook over medium heat for 2 hours.

Recipe

Kala Chana Ghugni (Brown Chickpea Curry)

Ghugni – tender brown chickpeas in a flavorful curry topped with crunchy onion and fresh cilantro – is a delicious meal served with flatbread, roti, or crackers.

  • Serves 4
  • Prep 15 minutes
  • Cook 1 hour
  • Total 2 hours

Ingredients

  • 1 cup brown chickpeas, (kala chana, or desi chana, soaked overnight or at least for 1 hour)

For the sauce:

  • 1 teaspoon oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne (or Indian red chili powder)
  • 1 tablespoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup thinly sliced red onion
  • 1 hot green chili such as Serrano, (chopped)
  • 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste (or 2 cloves garlic minced and 1/2 inch ginger minced)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

For garnish:

  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1/2 teaspoon toasted ground cumin
  • 2-3 teaspoons lime juice or as needed

Instructions

  1. 1

    Soak the brown chickpeas if you haven’t already then drain. Add them to an Instant Pot or a pressure cooker and add 2 cups of water. Close the lid and pressure cook for 1 hour (on bean mode) or pressure cook for 45 minutes in a regular stovetop pressure cooker over medium heat.

  2. 2

    Once the pressure cooking is done, release the pressure naturally for 10 minutes then quick release. Open the lid and check if the chickpeas are cooked. Drain and reserve the water. Set the drained chickpeas aside.

  3. 3

    Make the sauce by heating the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot add the cumin seeds and mix in. cook until the cumin seeds change color and darken significantly. Then add the bay leaves, all the ground spices, sliced onion, and a good pinch of salt and mix in. Cook the onion for 6 to 8 minutes until golden, add splashes of water in between if the onion is drying out too much.

  4. 4

    Once the onion is cooked, add the ginger-garlic paste and green chili and mix in. Cook for another minute then add the salt, cooked brown chickpeas, and 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the reserved water and mix in. Cover and cook for 6-8 minutes, open the lid and mix well again. Taste and adjust salt and flavor. Switch off the heat.

  5. 5

    To serve transfer the cooked chickpeas to a serving bowl and garnish with chopped cilantro and red onion. Sprinkle the toasted ground cumin and add some lime juice as needed and serve.

Equipment

  • Instant Pot or other pressure cooker

Notes

You can serve ghugni with flatbread, roti or crackers, or even rice. To make this recipe with white chickpeas, simply pressure-cook them for 15 minutes. You can also use other chickpeas or beans for this recipe. You can even use dried white peas (vatana), pressure cook 12-15 mins based on texture preference. This recipe is gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free as written.

Nutrition

  • Calories200 kcal
  • Carbohydrates33 g
  • Protein8 g
  • Fat4 g
  • Saturated Fat0.1 g
  • Sodium351 mg
  • Potassium484 mg
  • Fiber3 g
  • Sugar3 g
  • Vitamin A354 IU
  • Vitamin C10 mg
  • Calcium117 mg
  • Iron3 mg