Lahori Chanay

Flavourful chickpea curry popular for breakfast/brunch. Lahori Chanay deliciously spiced, simmered until tender and infused with spices resulting in soft melt in the mouth chickpea gravy.

Lahori Chanay is quintessential street food from Lahore, a city known for rich food culture. Flavourful chickpea curry is popular for breakfast/brunch and served with poori or naans. There are a lot of recipes and different version of Chanay, but basics are same. The chickpeas are simmered until tender and infused with spices resulting in soft chickpea gravy that melts into your mouth. Its a perfect vegetarian and vegan recipe.

How to make Lahori Chanay

The recipe is fairly easy to make with very few ingredients. And after many trails I have came up with recipe that is closest it can be to street-food style chickpeas. Following ingredients are required for the recipe:

• Chickpeas – Preferably dried chickpeas soaked overnight and boiled untill tender. You can also use canned chickpeas.
• Ginger and Garlic – Use fresh garlic ginger paste.
• Spices – Chilli powder, Turmeric, Coriander , Cumin, black pepper, cinnamon, cloves and black cardamom.
• Secret Ingredients– Baking soda and Orange Lentil ( Masoor Daal). Baking soda helps to tenderise the chickpeas and orange lentil helps thicken up the gravy.

Incase you are wondering I have missed out on Onions and tomatoes. Well this recipe doesn’t require either.

Lahori Chana Spice Mix

Making fresh spice mix is essential to get that authentic taste. The spice mix is made from cumin, coriander, cloves, cardamom, black pepper corns and cinnamon sticks. The whole spices are dry roasted and grinded to powder. The powder will be more than required for this recipe, you can store it in a jar for up to 4 weeks. It can be used later when you are making chickpeas or even in some other curries.

WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT

Tips on making Lahori Chanay

A few tips that will help you achieve the authentic flavour:

• Fry garlic and ginger on low heat. Also when you add spices keep the flame low, its prevents it from burning. If required add little water.
• Don’t throw away water from boiled chickpeas. Its like chickpea stock and gives a flavour to the channay.
• Mash 40 % of chickpeas in the end. That’s how authentic chickpeas are, little mush and some of them are whole.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH LAHORI CHANAY

Lahori chanay are best served with naan/flat bread or Poori ( deep fried flat bread). Some people like to eat it with rice too. But authentic Lahori way is definitely with a naan.

Other Vegetarian Recipes

Daal (Lentil Curry)

Dahi Baray

Palak Paneer

Falafels

Lahori Chanay

Flavourful chickpea curry popular for breakfast/brunch. The chickpeas are simmered until tender and infused with spices resulting in soft chickpea gravy that melts into your mouth.

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Course Main Course

Cuisine Pakistani

Ingredients

  

Spice Mix

• 1 tbsp Cumin
• 1 tbsp Coriander
• 5-6 Cloves
• 10 Black Peppercorns
• 1 Black Cardamom
• 2 Pieces of Cinamon Sticks

Chickpea Gravy

• 800 g Boiled or Canned Chickpeas
• ⅓ cup Red Lentil
• 1 tbsp Garlic Paste
• 1 tbsp Ginger Paste
• 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
• 1 tsp Salt
• ¼ tsp Baking Soda
• ¼ tsp Turmeric
• ¼ Cup Oil
• Fresh Coriander and Chillies

Instructions

 

• If you are using raw chickpeas, soak them overnight. Boil them in a pot of water until they are tender and cooked through. Reserve some water in which they were boiled for use later.
• Dry roast all the whole spices for a minute and grind them into a powder.
• In a pot heat oil and add garlic ginger. Fry on low heat for 2 minutes.
• Add red chilli powder, turmeric and 1 tbsp of prepared spice mix. Fry for couple of minutes until oil starts to separate.
• Wash and rinse red lentils and add it. Fry for 2-3 minute and add half cup of water. Cover and cook for 15 minutes on low flame.
• Add chickpeas and add around 3 cups of water saved from boiled chickpeas. The water should be enough to cover the chickpeas. If you are using canned chickpeas you can use normal water.
• Add salt and baking soda. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.
• Using potato masher, mash chickpeas slightly.
• Garnish with fresh coriander/cilantro and green chillies.