Kala Chana Pulao/Brown Chickpea Pulao

Recipe: Kala Chana Pulao/Brown Chickpea Pulao

Kala Chana Pulao/Brown Chickpea Pulao is a delicious, aromatic rice dish using two pantry essential ingredients rice and brown chickpeas. With a few spices, onion, ginger, garlic and chillis this pulao is easy to make. You just have to remember to soak the chana overnight. Enjoy the pulao with some kadhi, yogurt, raita and roasted papads. We enjoyed it some plain yogurt.

Rice Storage in Olden Days

WeLong ago, the time of my great grandparents and grandparents, rice was stored in huge earthen pots (that could easily fit a man in it) for the whole year. Back then rice was a seasonal crop and there were no facilities to vacuum pack them or store them in plastic bags. The huge pot would have a hole just about 4-5 inches above the bottom part which would be closed off with a scrunched up cloth. Whenever, rice was required, the cloth was removed only a bit for the rice to pour out. My aunts, at both the paternal and maternal villages would store the rice in a smaller tin or dabba so that they would not have to remove the cloth ever so carefully everyday. When I was in Bangalore, our neighbor showed me a big round basket woven out of bamboo with a small opening on top. That basket is still used by some tribes in India to store rice.

Modern Times

These days hardly anyone stores huge quantities of rice. It is so much easier to buy a 1, 2 or 5 kg bag and use it. Rice is available throughout the year so we never think of it as a seasonal crop. But farmers in our village still store seasonal rice. With what the world is facing right now stocking up our pantries or stores has become a must whether we like it or not.  Perhaps, rice was on everyone’s list as it is a versatile ingredient and doesn’t spoil easily. The new term that will not be forgetten easily is ‘PANTRY ESSENTIAL‘. Before, I don’t even think we thought of all the food we bought as essential or non essential. I bet you our forefathers must be laughing at us, they truly were so much wiser than we are.

How To Store Rice

Even if I buy a 2 kg bag, I usually rub the rice gently in castor oil. That keeps the insects away and rice can be stored over a year. For about 2 kg rice, I pour out the rice from the bag into a wide dry and clean basin. Drizzle about 2 tbsp castor oil and gently with my palms, rub the rice around so it gets coated with the oil. I store the rice in an airtight container like a jar or a tin (dabba).

Theme This Week On FoodieMonday/Bloghop

As many countries are experiencing lockdowns, curfews, restricted movement, our theme this week had to be a simple one and Narmadha suggested RICE and asked us to use rice to prepare a rice dish. Keeping pantry essentials in mind I decided to make Kala Chana Pulao/ Brown Chickpea Pulao. And please don’t ask why these delicious beautiful brown chickpeas are called Kala Chana in India. Actually, it is only in recent years that Gujaratis have started using Kabuli Chana (White Chickpeas). Most of the Gujarati dishes called for kala chana and we don’t call it that… it is just chana for us. Coming back to today’s theme, I have bookmarked Narmadha’s Curry Leaves Rice (Karuveppilai Sadam) ever since I saw it on her blog. However, it will have to wait for a while till I’m able to go to my mamiji’s house to get some fresh curry leaves.

What varieties of rice dishes can you make?

Here are some suggestions:

• To start off with Sasmita’s unusual and delicious looking Kathal Dum Biryani (Jackfruit Biryani) is what I’d love to try when I get raw jackfruit.
• Use White Chickpeas to make Poonam’s Chana Pulao.
• Sujata makes a delicious corn and peas pulao using fried onion or barista as its called
• Priya’s  Masala Khichdi is a bit different as she has cooked the dal and rice separately before mixing them.
• Archana’s Vegetarian Tehri is easy to make and delicious.
• If you’re a big fan of Vegetable Fried Rice like me then you’ve got to check out Waagmi’s recipe.
• Make a quick Tomato Biryani in a pressure cooker like Narmadha does.
• Looking for an Instant Pot Rice Dish? Go on click on Swaty’s Rajma Pulao.
• Do you have some leftover plain rice? Why not give it a new look and flavour by trying Aruna’s Pepper Rice.
• Preethi’s Tomato Bath is a good way to use up leftover plain rice.
• Or you may want to try Kalyani’s one pot Tomato Pulav, by making it from scratch.

 

Some Of My Family’s Favorite Rice Dishes

 

• Buckwheat and Brown Rice Khichdi
• Beetroot Rice
• Khatti Kanki
• Nunu’s Biryani
• Egg Biryani
• Badshahi Khichdi

Ingredients for Kala Chana Pulao/Brown Chickpea Pulao

 

Cooked Rice

It can be any white or brown rice and you can easily use up leftover rice. I sometimes purposely make more normal plain rice so that I can use it to make rice dishes.

Boiled Kala Chana / Brown Chickpeas

Here you use whichever chickpeas you have, white or brown. Can also used tinned or canned ones. If you’re using dried chickpeas then you need to soak them in warm water overnight or for 6-8 hours. I usually boil them in a pressure cooker with some fresh water and a bit of salt for nearly 3-4 whistles.

Onion 

Either white, red or yellow – slice it or chop it.

Garlic

Peeled and minced or finely chopped

Ginger

Peeled and grated or minced

Green Chili

Finely chopped or paste

Tomato

If you’re lucky and have fresh ones, chop it finely or use fresh tomato puree – homemade or canned. I’ve stored home made puree in small containers.

Spinach

Chop the spinach finely.  Totally optional if you don’t have any, add any other leafy greens like fenugreek or kale. If you don’t have any, omit it.

Spices

Whole ones like cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, peppercorns, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, bay leaf.

Powder ones – red chili powder, garam masala, asafoetida. For gluten free rice omit asafoetida powder as it contains wheat flour.

Lemon Juice

Add according to your taste.

Fresh Coriander and Mint leaves

As I had both I used them. If you don’t have any, omit.

Oil/Ghee

Depends on what you like to use. For vegan version can use coconut oil or normal vegetable oil

Salt

Add according to your taste. Remember, you have cooked the chickpeas with some salt so add accordingly.

Dietary Tips:

• Gluten Free if you don’t add asafoetida
• Vegan if cooked in oil
• For Satvik option omit onion and garlic

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