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.
Can potato curry be frozen? ›
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.
What is chickpea curry made of? ›
Coconut Chickpea Curry is a simple & fast one pot Indian dish of curried chickpeas made with coconut milk, tomatoes and store-bought ground spices. That said, you can absolutely change up some of the flavors of this beautiful curry. Make it authentic coconut chickpea curry by following my recipe notes below.
How long does it take to cook chickpeas? ›
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.
How do you keep potatoes from getting mushy in curry? ›
How can I prevent mushy potatoes?
- Avoid overcooking them – once they're done, they're DONE and they don't need extra time. Overcooked potatoes are bound to break.
- Handle the entire curry quite gentle once they begin to get tender. ...
- Avoid slicing the potatoes – I prefer to cut mine into medium sized cubes.
Other tips are make sure you don't add acidic ingredients early on (lemon, lime, yogurt ect) as this prevents the potatoes softening. Also make sure the curry has plenty of spice and salt to work with bland potatoes. Rather than boil, steam until almost done, then add to your curry and cook for around 5 minutes.
Which potatoes are best for curry? ›
For curry, it's best to use a potato that falls into the waxy category, which helps keep the potato's shape in dishes that have a more liquid base (like curries, soups, and stews). Otherwise, if a potato is more mealy than waxy, it may become too grainy or mushy when cooking. Yukon Gold.
Do you need to peel potatoes 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.
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.
Why is my chickpea curry bitter? ›
Your curry can taste bitter if the spices and garlic are burnt or if you've added too much fenugreek to the dish. You see, the secret to cooking a delicious curry recipe is to create a spicy paste and slowly cook it before adding your meat.
Chana, gram, and besan are common Indian terms for chickpeas and chickpea products: Chana dal are split chickpeas, while gram and besan are most often used to describe chickpea flour.
Do you have to peel chickpeas for curry? ›
If you're using canned chickpeas, it's best to rinse them to get rid of any “can” taste, but the skins will disappear when you blend or process them.
Why add baking soda when cooking chickpeas? ›
By adding baking soda, you are increasing the pH of the water and making it more alkaline. This helps break down the pectin in the chickpeas which softens their skins better and faster. This is especially important when you are making hummus and want the creamiest consistency possible.
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.
Are garbanzo beans the same as chickpeas? ›
The honest answer—there's no difference between chickpeas and garbanzo beans. They're just two (of many) different names for the same type of pulse. (Pulses are basically seeds of legume plants.) The word chickpea doesn't come from chickens at all—it's an evolution of the plant's Latin name, cicer arietinum.
Do you have to boil potatoes before cooking? ›
You don't need to, but if you like really crispy potatoes, there's a method that requires a few minutes of pre-cooking. Basically, you put the potatoes into already boiling water for a few minutes to soften up the outside. Then drain, add some fat and flavourings, and with the lid on briefly shake and rotate the pot.
When should potatoes be added to curry? ›
When should I add potato chunks to a curry? For me it depends on what potatoes I'm using. If they are soft cookers, probably about 20 minutes before the curry is expected to be ready to eat. Firm cooking potatoes go in earlier to absorb all the flavours then if they break down a bit, no problem.
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.
