Chana Madra (Himanchali Chickpeas in Yogurt Sauce)

Chana Madra is a Himachali style curry where Chickpeas are cooked in a yoghurt sauce along with spices. Serve it with steamed rice for a perfect meal. Here is how to make it.

Have you tried out this combination of chickpeas or Chana with yoghurt?

It might seem like a rather different combination at first.

Give this delicious Himachali yoghurt based chickpea gravy a try and you’ll slowly start to realise what a wonderful combination it is.

Channa madra is a very popular dish in Himachal Pradesh and on your next trip to Himachal, you just can’t give this curry a miss.

Till then, try this delicious and authentic Chana madra recipe to bring the flavours of Himachal to your home.

Chana is a very versatile ingredient to cook with and it absorbs the flavours of the curry broth really well, some of the other chana or chickpeas recipes I’ve posted are: Kerala Kadala Curry, Chickpea Pumpkin Coconut Curry, Achari Chole or a very similar combination comes together in Dahi Wale Gatte.

Chickpeas are a brilliant source of plant-based protein, it helps in controlling blood sugar levels and it’s also a great source of much-needed fibre.

This chana madra is a delicious creamy curry and the use of yoghurt and flour gives it a thick consistency.

However, while cooking this dish, it’s very important to be careful after adding in the yoghurt, you must ensure that the yoghurt doesn’t curdle in the process.

The flavours of the different spices used, come together really well in this curry.

It’s a very different style of making chana curry, do try this curry and serve it to your friends and family.

They are going to fall in love with the creaminess of this unique and delicious chickpea curry.

How to make Chana Madra?

To make this creamy yoghurt based chickpea curry, first Kabuli chana is to be washed and soaked for a few hours.

Once soaked, the water is drained and the chana or chickpea is allowed to cook in a pressure cooker with water and salt.

Once nicely cooked, it’s removed from the heat and kept aside.

Then ghee is heated in a pan and just before the oil reaches its smoking point, hing and cumin seeds are added and allowed to crackle for a few seconds.

To this, all the spices like cloves, cardamom, peppercorn and cinnamon are added and fried for a few seconds.

Next, the curd or yoghurt is whisked in with maida, coriander powder, turmeric powder and red chilli powder and cooked for a few minutes.

Now the cooked chana, paneer, cashew and raisins are added and cooked for some time.

Finally, salt and ghee are added in and the whole chana madra mix is allowed to cook for a few minutes.

Garnish with some freshly chopped coriander and serve with naan or rice.

Step by Step Recipe

Wash the chana and soak in 3-4 cups water for 6-8 hours.

Drain the water and add the chana in a pressure cooker along with 2 cups of water and 2 tsp salt. Pressure cook until chana are nicely cooked. Remove the pressure cooker from heat and let the pressure release.

Heat ghee in a pan.

Once the oil is hot, add hing and cumin seeds and let them crackle for a few seconds.

Add bay leaves, crushed cloves, black cardamom, peppercorn, cinnamon and dry red chillies and fry for a few seconds.

Whisk curd with Maida, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder and red chilli powder and add it in the pan.

Cook for 3-4 minutes.

Add cooked chana, paneer, cashew nuts and raisins and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add salt to taste and ghee and cook for 5-6 minutes. Add more water if you like the gravy thinner and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Garnish with fresh coriander. Serve madra with naan or rice.

4.88 from 8 votes

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Chana Madra Recipe

Chana Madra is a Himanchali style curry where Chickpeas are cooked in a yogurt Sauce along with spices. Serve it with steamed rice for a perfect meal. 

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 403 kcal

Author Neha Mathur

Ingredients

• 1 cup Kabuli Chana
• 3 tbsp Ghee
• 1/4 tsp Hing
• 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
• 3-4 Cloves Crushed
• 2 Black Cardamom Crushed
• 1 inch Cinnamon Crushed
• 2-3 Dry Red Chillies
• 2 cups Curd
• 2 tsp Maida I add it to avoid separation of curd. But it's totally optional.
• 2 tsp Coriander Powder
• 1/2 tsp Cumin Powder
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
• 2 tsp Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
• 200 g Paneer Cubed
• 10-12 Cashew Nuts
• 10-12 Raisins
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp Sugar
• 1 tbsp Ghee
• 2 tbsp Fresh Coriander Chopped

Instructions

1. Wash the chana and soak in 3-4 cups water for 6-8 hours.

2. Drain the water and add the chana in a pressure cooker along with 2 cups of water and 2 tsp salt.

3. Pressure cook until chana are nicely cooked.

4. Remove the pressure cooker from heat and let the pressure release.

5. Heat ghee in a pan.

6. Once the oil is hot, add hing and cumin seeds and let them crackle for a few seconds.

7. Add crushed cloves, black cardamom, cinnamon and dry red chillies and fry for a few seconds.

8. Whisk curd with Maida, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder and red chilli powder and add it in the pan.

9. Cook for 3-4 minutes.

10. Add cooked chana, paneer, cashew nuts and raisins and cook for 2-3 minutes.

11. Add salt to taste, sugar and ghee and cook for 5-6 minutes.

12. Garnish with fresh coriander.

13. Serve madra with naan or rice.

Recipe Notes

maida is not used traditionally but I add to avoid curd from splitting.

Nutrition Facts

Chana Madra Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 403 Calories from Fat 306

% Daily Value*

Fat 34g52%

Saturated Fat 20g125%

Cholesterol 87mg29%

Sodium 97mg4%

Potassium 358mg10%

Carbohydrates 15g5%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 8g9%

Protein 13g26%

Vitamin A 765IU15%

Vitamin C 34.8mg42%

Calcium 408mg41%

Iron 1.7mg9%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.