Easy Chana Aloo Kurma or Potato Chickpea Kurma is a quick kurma made in Tamil Nadu style. We use pantry ingredients to make this easy side dish for poori and chapati.
You can prepare this Chickpea and Potato curry in 30 minutes! This Potato Chana Kurma is best enjoyed over white rice or with poori or chapati.
While planning the Rangoli Thali, I was keen on adding dishes with different colours. The thali has a green colour laccha paratha and an orange color pulao. So the gravy as the side dish has to be yellow!
This chana Potata kurma has the perfect colour to make it a colourful Rangoli Thali. And on top, the gravy is so simple to make.
While we do make so many different versions of Chana Aloo Masala, mostly in Punjabi style, this kurma is a typical Tamil Style, or if you ask me, a south Indian style as I have used coconut.
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Ingredients
Planning a little ahead gets you this easy to make kurma done very quickly. Once you assemble all the ingredients together, this dish hardly takes time to get done.
Kurma Paste - I have ground a mix of coconut along with Fennel Seeds and Cashewnuts for the richness and giving consistency of the gravy.
Chickpea & Potato - Kabuli Chana is the main ingredient in this gravy and along with potatoes, it makes a delicious side dish for chapati.
Spices - We use spice powders in making this gravy. Instead of whole spices, garam masala is used.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
The kurma paste can be prepared ahead to save time. Getting the other ingredients in place makes this gravy so simple and easy to make.
For the paste
Take the fresh Coconut along with Fennel Seeds and Cashewnuts. Grind to a smooth paste using water. Keep it aside.
Boiling the chana and Potato
Wash and soak the chana overnight. When ready to make the gravy, pressure cook with 1/2 teaspoon salt with enough water. Make sure to pressure cook for 3 to 4 whistles or until done. Drain and save the water.
You can either boil the potatoes in a pressure cooker or in the microwave.
In the pressure cooker, you can wash, peel the outer skin, and cube the potatoes in the pressure cooker using the same water as chickpeas.
If you want to microwave, then wash and make marks on the potatoes, microwave it for 6 to 7 minutes.
Soak in water to peel the outer skin. Cube into smaller pieces.
For the Gravy
Heat a nonstick pan with oil, splutter Mustard Seeds, and Cumin Seeds.
Next, add finely chopped onions and fry until it changes colour.
Add Ginger Garlic Paste and cook for 2 minutes. Now add Tomato puree along with salt and Turmeric Powder. Cook on high for 2 minutes.
Once the onion and tomato paste gets cooked well, you can add Red Chili Powder, Coriander Powder and let it simmer for 2 minutes.
Now add boiled Kabuli Chana and cubed potatoes. Let it simmer with the lid covered for 5 minutes.
Once this is done, add the ground paste and mix well. You can add the saved water if any or add 1 cup of water. Sprinkle Garam Masala and bring to a boil.
Add more water as required for consistency.
Substitutions & Variations
I have used fresh coconut to make the paste for this Potato Chickpea Kurma gravy. You can try frozen or dried coconut as well.
You can simply add chopped tomatoes instead of puree, however, that will have tomato skin and if you have kids they may not like it.
Instead of spice powders, you can add whole spices and grind them along with coconut instead of garam masala.
Equipment
I have used a pressure cooker to boil the chickpeas and potatoes. You can save time by boiling potatoes in the microwave.
You can make the gravy in the same pressure cooker, else you can use a pan to make the gravy.
Storage
You can refrigerate chana and potatoes and use them just when needed to make this Potato Chickpea Kurma.
Make a paste of onion and tomato masala and use it as and when required.
If you want to make it even more colourful and tasty, add paneer, other vegetables, etc.
Expert Tips
Making this kurma is very easy and only takes about 30 minutes. You can accelerate further by stocking boiled chana and potatoes in the fridge.
Sometimes I make the masala pastes like ground coconut with spices and use it when required.
You can also make onion tomato pastes ahead of time.
Other Kurma Recipes you can try!
Recipe
Easy Chana Aloo Kurma | How to make Potato Chickpea Kurma
Ingredients
For the paste
- 1/2 cup Coconut fresh
- 1 teaspoon Fennel Seeds
- 3 Cashewnuts
For the Gravy
- 2 teaspoon Cooking Oil
- 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 2 teaspoon Ginger Garlic Paste
- 3/4 cup Onions finely chopped
- 1 cup Tomato puree
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 teaspoon Red Chili Powder
- 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
- 1 cup Kabuli Chana / Chickpeas
- 2 Potato Cubed
- 1/2 tsp Garam Masala
- Water as required
Instructions
For the paste
- Take the fresh Coconut along with Fennel Seeds and Cashewnuts.
- Grind to a smooth paste using water. Keep it aside.
Boiling the chana and Potato
- Wash and soak the chana overnight. When ready to make the gravy, pressure cook with 1/2 teaspoon salt with enough water.
- Pressure cook for 3 to 4 whistles or until done.
- Drain and save the water.
- You can either boil the potatoes in a pressure cooker or in the microwave.
- If cooking in the pressure cooker, you can wash, peel the outer skin and cube it for the pressure cooker in the same water.
- If you want to microwave, then wash and make marks on the potatoes, microwave it for 6 to 7 minutes.
- Soak in water to peel the outer skin. Cube into smaller pieces.
For the Gravy
- Heat a nonstick pan with oil, splutter Mustard Seeds, and Cumin Seeds.
- Next, add finely chopped onions and fry until it changes colour.
- Add Ginger Garlic Paste and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add Tomato puree along with salt and Turmeric Powder. Cook on high for 2 minutes.
- Then add Red Chili Powder, Coriander Powder and let it simmer for 2 minutes.
- Now add boiled Kabuli Chana and cubed potatoes
- Let it simmer with the lid covered for 5 minutes.
- Add the ground paste and mix well.
- You can add the saved water if any or add 1 cup of water.
- Sprinkle Garam Masala and bring to a boil.
- Add more water as required for consistency.
Nutrition
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sushma pinjala says
Chana aloo kurma looks so good. Love the flavors of fennel and creamy texture from cashewnuts.
Vaishali says
I have never tried a Kurma with channa , adding coconut and fennel will change the flavor . Will try this version of channa soon. Very different and interesting .
Usha Rao says
Kurma came out delicious and cashews lent a nice creamy texture. I liked it both with roti and rice.
Sharmila Kingsly says
Coconut and cashew blend togther and gave an awesome texture to the kurma.. This looks so good !!