Home » Main Course » Chickpea and Potato Curry Recipe
I love chickpea potato curry (Aloo Chana Masala). The richness of the spice mix gives this dish an intense and complex flavor that just bursts into your mouth. Chana Aloo curry is a North Indian dish with chickpeas and potatoes as the main ingredients cooked in a delicious curry-based sauce that tastes delicious when eaten with white Basmati or Jasmine rice and a dollop of yogurt on top to cut the spiciness a bit.
Ingredients you’ll need:
To make this wonderful chickpea potato curry, you will need several spices. They all add flavor, but if you don’t have them all, don’t worry. Use the ones you have.
- Spice mix: ideally, you would use all these spices, but if you are missing a few, it’s ok. The most important ones are curry powder, cumin, coriander, and smoked paprika, but I also used nutmeg, All Spice, thyme, dried fenugreek leaves, and cayenne pepper. If you don’t like too much heat, omit the cayenne
- Onion and garlic: are basic flavor enhancers
- Potatoes: I used red potatoes, but feel free to use whatever you have on hand
- Chickpeas: canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- Crushed tomatoes: you can use diced, but add the juice. Crushed are the best though
- Chicken broth: use vegetable broth if you want to make it vegetarian
- Green onions and fresh parsley: are added at the end for freshness
How to make Chickpea Curry?
Chana Aloo is very easy to make. Just follow these simple steps:
- Heat a large pot over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, and saute the onions and garlic until fragrant, about 2 minutes
- Add the spice mix and cook for one more minute
- Mix in the potatoes until fully covered with the spice mix
- Pour in the chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, and chickpeas. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through
- Stir in the freshly chopped green onions and parsley. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve over steaming Basmati or Jasmine rice and with natural yogurt on the side to bring down the heat.
What to Serve With Chickpea Curry?
Freshly made Garlic Butter Rice Recipe is a must to spoon the curry over! You can also add Our Favorite Mushroom Rice as another dish for a vegetarian feast. Tomato Cucumber Onion Salad is a great addition to the meal for a bit of freshness, The Best Brussels Sprouts of Your Lifeas a complement is also a great idea!
Storage:
If you have any leftovers, place them in an airtight container and in the fridge for up to 4 days. This is one of those dishes that tastes better the next day! You can also freeze it for up to 3 months.
How to Reheat Chana Aloo?
I have found the best way to do it is in the microwave, but you can also do it on the stovetop. Add a little water if you feel the curry has dried a little.
Chickpea and Potato Curry Recipe
Chickpea Potato Curry is like a party of flavors for the mouth!
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 25 minutes mins
Total Time 40 minutes mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 5 SERVINGS
Calories 306 kcal
Ingredients
For the spice mix:
- 1 ½ tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp All Spice
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp dried thyme leaves
- 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (optional)
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper (omit if you don’t like too much heat)
For the curry:
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 ½ cup potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2- 14 oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1- 14 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
- 3 green onions, sliced
- 2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
Instructions
Heat a large pot over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, and saute the onions and garlic until fragrant, about 2 minutes
Add the spice mix and cook for one more minute
Mix in the potatoes until fully covered with the spice mix
Pour in the chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, and chickpeas. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through
Stir in the freshly chopped green onions and parsley. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve over steaming Basmati or Jasmine rice and with natural yogurt on the side to bring down the heat
Nutrition
Calories: 306kcalCarbohydrates: 41.7gProtein: 13.2gFat: 8.7g
FAQs
No! You don't need to boil the potatoes first. To make a basic curry, just add them to the onion tomato masala and simmer. Potatoes cook with the spices and absorb all the wonderful flavors.
How long do chickpeas take to cook? ›
Stovetop: boiled chickpeas cooked on the stovetop will take anywhere from 30 minutes up to 2 hours. In the slow cooker: cook for 4 hours on high heat or 6 to 8 hours on low heat. In your pressure cooker or Instant Pot: they will take about 1 hour.
Can you freeze potato curry? ›
Curries also freeze beautifully. You can make them in a large batch, either in a saucepan on the stove or in a slow cooker. You can bulk them out with potatoes and other vegetables to make them more economical. Once cooked, you can freeze them in bulk or individual portions with rice.
Should potatoes be peeled for curry? ›
Whether you peel the potatoes or not is a matter of personal preference. Traditionally, Japanese curry is made with peeled potatoes, but leaving the skins on can add extra flavor and texture. Just make sure to wash the potatoes thoroughly if you decide to keep the skins on.
What happens if you don't soak chickpeas before cooking? ›
If you forget, you can simply start the cooking process, but expect them to take longer to cook than if you had soaked them first. It can take up to twice the time if you don't soak them first. The reason most people prefer to soak beans is: Soaking makes the beans cook faster.
Do canned chickpeas need to be cooked? ›
Canned chickpeas are pre-cooked chickpeas. You can eat canned chickpeas straight out of the can! (Just be sure to rinse them off before chowing down to wash out excess sodium) Otherwise, you can roast them or turn them into any number of delicious dishes, like these here.
Do you drain chickpeas before cooking? ›
Drain the chickpeas. Put them in a large pot and add enough water to cover them by about 2 inches (again this is about 4 to 6 cups for 1 cup dried or more if they expanded a lot while soaking, or about 10 cups for 1 pound/2 cups dried). Add the bay leaves (optional). Bring to a boil.
What potatoes are best for curry? ›
I prefer Yukon Gold potatoes when cooking curries, because they have a slight buttery flavor and creamy texture thanks to their medium starch content. Red Potatoes. They don't need to be peeled before cooking and hold their shape well when cooked.
When to add potatoes to curry? ›
Grab a skillet or a large pot and get your onions going first over medium heat until nice and fragrant. Then, toss in your chicken and curry paste and let that do it's thing. Finally, toss the potatoes in there. Simmer.
Why can't you freeze cooked potatoes? ›
Prepared cooked potatoes tend to lose flavor rapidly when frozen and should be stored for only a few weeks. Mashed potatoes are prepared as usual; adding butter, cream, sour cream, or cream cheese provides fat that helps the frozen mashed potatoes to maintain their texture.
If you are cooking them from dry, make sure not to overcook them — overly soft or mushy chickpeas will take much longer to crisp up. Olive oil. Or use any vegetable oil you like. Technically these can be made oil-free, but in my opinion the texture is vastly better with a little drizzle of oil.
Why add baking soda to dry chickpeas? ›
The chickpeas are sautéed with baking soda for a few minutes, before dumping in the water to simmer the chickpeas. The baking soda makes the water more alkaline, which softens the chickpeas more quickly by weakening their pectic bonds.
How long to cook dried chickpeas on stove? ›
Cook the chickpeas. Place the chickpeas in a large pot and cover by several inches with cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for 1.5 – 2 hours, or until soft (but not mushy). Offset the lid of the pot to let some of the steam out during cooking.
Do you have to boil potatoes before cooking? ›
For most potato dishes it's important to add the potatoes to cold water and allow the water to come to a boil with the potatoes in the water. The potato starch can react as soon as it comes in contact with hot water, which will promote uneven cooking and mealy potatoes.
Do you always have to boil potatoes before cooking? ›
You'll want to boil potatoes any time you don't want them to dry out (as they can when baked in the oven).
Do you cook vegetables before putting in curry? ›
If you are (pre-)steaming the vegetables, your are keeping their individual flavor whereas by cooking in the curry sauce you get a more evened out flavor as the various ingredients contribute to the overall flavor and absorb the spices. This may or may not be what you prefer, but it's how your first recipe is designed.
Do you have to parboil potatoes before cooking? ›
Is it really necessary to boil the potatoes before roasting? Definitely! This way we get the right texture of soft in the middle and crispy on the edges. They would take ages if we didn't take this step, and the results would most likely be a tough, overdone outer edge and a dry inside.
