Chickpeas with Mango Powder (Amchoor Chana)


Visit the Indian Food Glossary for information on the ingredients in this recipe
Chickpeas with Mango Powder (Amchoor Chana)

660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer is proving to be one of the wisest cookbook investments I have made lately. There is an abundance of easy but deliciously satisfying curry recipes that are ideal for days when you want proper nourishment without much fuss. The extensive chapter on legume curries is one that I continue to explore, as most of my meals are centered around beans and legumes.

Amchoor powder is readily available at Indian grocery stores. It is made from unripe green mangoes that are dried and turned into a powder. It adds a tangy, slightly sour flavor to Indian dishes. If you do not have mango powder on hand, you can substitute the juice from one lime.

Chickpeas with Mango Powder (Amchoor Chana)Chickpeas with Mango Powder (Amchoor Chana)
Recipe by
Adapted from 660 Curries
Cuisine: Indian
Published on November 10, 2008

A simple but wonderfully spicy and tangy tomato chickpea curry

Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:
  • 1 cup dried chickpeas (3 cups cooked or 2 14 oz cans)
  • 2 tablespoons ghee or a mixture of butter and oil
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 2 to 3 black cardamom pods, crushed
  • 1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 tablespoons mango (amchoor) powder
  • 1 tablespoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 2 medium ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
  • generous handful of fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste
  • 1 small red onion or shallot, finely chopped
Instructions:
  • Rinse the chickpeas and soak for 8 hours or overnight covered in several inches of water. Drain and rinse, then transfer to a large saucepan and cover with several inches of fresh water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until for 1 to 2 hours or until the chickpeas are soft. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid, and set aside.

  • Heat the ghee or butter and oil over medium heat in the same pan in which you cooked the chickpeas. When hot, add the cumin seeds, cardamom pods and cinnamon sticks, and stir for 1 minute. Now add the ground spices, stir, and pour in the tomatoes. Cook, uncovered, stirring often, until for 5 to 10 minutes or until the tomatoes are reduced.

  • Now add the chickpeas, the reserved cooking liquid, and half of the chopped parsley or cilantro. Cover the pot and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Remove from heat and season with salt.

  • Serve hot, garnished with the remaining parsley or cilantro and the chopped red onion or shallot.

Makes 6 servings

Chickpeas with Mango Powder (Amchoor Chana)

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've never heard of mango powder before, but I bet it's delicious in this. I think I need to buy that cookbook, too! ;)

Vijitha said...

Lisa, channa looks so perfect. You got the right colour...gr8 job. Hope u liked the taste!

Anonymous said...

sounds gorgeous. i love amchoor! and chickpeas, of course.

Chocolate Shavings said...

This sounds delicious - and anything with chickpeas is a winnner in my book!

Darius T. Williams said...

Mango powder? Hmmm - now I bet this is good!

-DTW
[www.everydaycookin.blogspot.com]

Usha said...

I love chickpeas and love to try out different ways to make them, this one sounds delicious......I have heard so much about this particular book, I need to check it out the next time I go to the book shop:-)

Lisa Turner said...

Usha, it really is an astounding book that's quickly becoming a favourite tool of mine for very fast and simple but delicious recipe ideas. I wrote a brief review of it here.

Ricki and Darius, you will love mango powder if you like to put a bit of bold tanginess into your dishes. It's not sweet like you might think, because it's made from unripe green mangoes.

Unknown said...

Sound delicious, The healthy food Amchoor chana and the recipes, I should try it. I just want to try first in legume curries. Thanks to Lisa! but, I didn't heard about mango powder. I have to go find and start my recipes.
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Jbsjohn

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James said...

Sounds great. Never tried the dried mango powder - so this is a good excuse!

Anonymous said...

Love chickpeas, love amchoor and would love to try this recipe!

Unknown said...

This was so good! I love Amchoor and so simple to make!