Easy Chickpea Curry with Potato (Chana Aloo Curry)

Name: Easy Chickpea Curry with Potato (Chana Aloo Curry)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 5 serving
Ingredients: 2 tbsp curry powder; 1 tsp All Spice powder; 1 tsp nutmeg powder; 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika; 2 tsp dried thyme leaves; 1 tsp cumin powder; 3/4 tsp cayenne pepper; 1 tsp white pepper; 3 tbsp cooking oil; 2 large garlic cloves; 1 large onion; 1 1/2 cups potatoes; 28 oz / 800g canned chickpeas; 14 oz / 400g canned crushed tomatoes; 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth/stock; 1 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt; 2 scallion/shallot stems; 2 tbsp fresh parsley; coriander/cilantro leaves; Dollop of yogurt; basmati rice; white rice

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4.9

651 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Servings
5
Calories
248 kcal
Course
Main Course, Dinner
Cuisine
Caribbean

Easy Chickpea Curry with Potato (Chana Aloo Curry)

Paige Becker

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Recipe video above. A Caribbean curry from Trinidad that tastes very similar to tomato based Indian curries. This curry has incredible flavour, and is one of the easiest real curries because you won't need to trek to the speciality store for the spices, you can get everything from the supermarket! Spice level: Medium (Note 1)

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Ingredients

Servings

Spices (Note 2):

2 tbsp curry powder (Note 3)
1 tsp All Spice powder
1 tsp nutmeg powder (or 1/2 tsp freshly grated)
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (or normal or sweet)
2 tsp dried thyme leaves (or 3 tsp fresh)
1 tsp cumin powder
3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp white pepper (or 1/2 tsp black pepper)

Curry

3 tbsp cooking oil (I used vegetable)
2 large garlic cloves , minced
1 large onion , diced (brown, white, yellow)
1 1/2 cups potatoes , cut into 1.2cm / 1/2" cubes (1 large, any type, peeled)
28 oz / 800g canned chickpeas (2 x 14oz/400g cans), drained (Note 3)
14 oz / 400g canned crushed tomatoes
2 cups vegetable or chicken broth/stock , low sodium
1 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt , plus more to taste (halve for table salt)
2 scallion/shallot stems , sliced (green & white part)
2 tbsp fresh parsley , finely chopped (or coriander/cilantro)

Serving - choose

coriander/cilantro leaves , chopped
Dollop of yogurt
basmati rice OR
white rice

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Instructions

Sauté - Heat oil in a large pot or very deep skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, cook for 3 minutes until onion is translucent.
Add Curry Spices and stir for 1 minute.
Add the potatoes and stir to coat in the Spices. If the spices start to stick to the bottom of the pot, add a tiny splash of water.
Simmer 15 minutes - Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, veg or chicken broth and salt. Bring to simmer then turn down the heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked and the sauce has thickened.
Adjust salt - Taste and add more salt if needed. Stir through scallions/shallots and parsley.
Serve with rice with a dollop of yogurt and coriander/cilantro if desired. Basmati would be ideal, or Coconut Rice if you're wanting to impress. To go all out, add some Easy Soft Flatbreads!

Notes

Spiciness: If you use a mild rather than super hot curry powder, this recipe has a medium level of curry because then the spiciness is coming from the cayenne and white pepper. If you are concerned about the spiciness, mix the spices together without the cayenne pepper, then do a taste test before adding into the pot.
Spices: Because there are quite a number of spices, it's not the end of the world if you skip one or two of them (except curry powder!). It won't taste quite the same but still really great. The ones that aren't that critical (in isolation) are: nutmeg, thyme, cayenne, pepper, and All Spice.
Curry Powder: This can be made with any curry powder you have / want. I've made it with Clives of India, Keens and Hoyts over the years (brands sold at Australian grocery stores) as well as curry powders from Indian stores, and they were all great.
Note: Curry powders differ in spiciness! Only use HOT if you can handle the heat!
Chickpeas - This recipe is terrific made with any beans or lentils. The spicy curry sauce is terrific with cannellini beans, navy, great northern, kidney, black beans, butter beans, lima beans, and any type of lentils.
Dried chickpeas - 1 standard can is about 1.5 cups / 250g once drained, so you need 3 cups / 500g of cooked chickpeas. Dried chickpeas increase by about 3.2x once cooked, so you will need 1 cup / 165g dried chickpeas which will yield just over 3 cups once cooked.
Storage - Keeps extremely well, nothing in this goes off quickly. Fridge 5 days (or longer if you're comfortable!), freezes brilliantly too. When I'm in a curry, I partially thaw in the microwave (just to loosen from container) then finish heating through on the stove. Otherwise, can also thaw and reheat completely in microwave.
Source: This recipe is slightly modified from the Curry Channa and Aloo recipe from Immaculate Bites. Original recipe called for 1 scotch bonnet or habanero pepper, finely chopped. I've simplified it by using cayenne pepper for spiciness - I honestly can't tell the difference (I've tried both ways). Also, the original recipe did not call for canned tomatoes. Some Trinidad Chana Aloo Curry recipes do. I added it to create a slightly thicker sauce.
Nutrition per serving, curry only (excludes rice).

Nutrition Information

Show Details

Serving 526g Calories 248cal (12%) Carbohydrates 32g (11%) Protein 8g (16%) Fat 11g (17%) Sodium 759mg (32%) Potassium 733mg (21%) Fiber 8g (32%) Sugar 5g (10%) Vitamin A 945IU (19%) Vitamin C 18.6mg (21%) Calcium 103mg (10%) Iron 5.6mg (31%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 5Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 248 kcal

% Daily Value*

Serving	526g
Calories	248cal	12%
Carbohydrates	32g	11%
Protein	8g	16%
Fat	11g	17%
Sodium	759mg	32%
Potassium	733mg	16%
Fiber	8g	32%
Sugar	5g	10%
Vitamin A	945IU	19%
Vitamin C	18.6mg	21%
Calcium	103mg	10%
Iron	5.6mg	31%