The dish known in the Caribbean as channa aloo came to the islands with immigrants from India. Channa is chickpeas cooked with curry and other spices and often includes potatoes (“aloo”). The curry flavor seeps into the chickpeas and potatoes as they cook for a delicious meal perfect for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. This recipe most closely follows the Guyanese style of the dish however I’ve used canned chickpeas instead of the dried, soaked chickpeas that are typical. Channa is delicious by itself but is often paired with roti, rice and plantains.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 50 min |
| Active: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1/4 cup diced yellow onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
- 6 whole pimento berries
- Two 15.5-ounce cans chickpeas (about 3 cups), rinsed and drained
- 2 small russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 2 cups vegetable broth or water
- 1/4 cup sliced red bell pepper
- 1/4 cup sliced green bell pepper
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium low and add the curry powder. Stir the curry and oil mixture for 2 minutes, stirring constantly so that it doesn’t burn. The curry powder will turn yellowish-brown in the oil. Add the cumin seeds and fennel seeds and continue to stir. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and pimento berries and cook until the onion is slightly translucent, about 1 minute.
- Stir in the chickpeas. Cook the chickpeas for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the potatoes and stir to combine. Add the broth and stir to combine. Cover the pot and increase the heat to medium. Simmer the chickpeas and potatoes until the potatoes are soft to the bite, about 20 minutes, adding the red and green bell peppers and 1/2 teaspoon salt about 5 minutes before the potatoes and chickpeas are done cooking.
- Use a fork to smash about 4 of the potatoes in the pot, then stir to combine and thicken the channa. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 519 |
| Total Fat | 16 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1 g |
| Carbohydrates | 76 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 14 g |
| Sugar | 12 g |
| Protein | 22 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 608 mg |