Pumpkin Chana Curry
If you’re looking for hearty and healthy dishes made in a pressure cooker, look no further than this Pumpkin Chana Curry.
Made with pumpkin, chana (brown chickpeas or Bengal gram), and a blend of aromatic spices, this dish is not only healthy and hearty, but also packed with flavor.
The pressure cooker (I used Instant Pot) is the perfect kitchen tool for this recipe because it allows the pumpkin and chickpeas to cook quickly and evenly, ensuring that they are perfectly tender and infused with all the spices and flavors of the curry. It also makes the cooking process much more convenient and hands-off, allowing you to focus on other things while the curry cooks to perfection.
Serve it with rice, roti, or flatbreads for a satisfying and complete lunch or dinner.
Let’s go!
Pumpkin Chana Curry
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup kala chana (aka Bengal Gram / Brown Chickpeas)
- 3 cups water (to soak)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 inch ginger (minced)
- 1 onion (sliced)
- 14 oz. (400 gm.) pumpkin (sliced)
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
- Salt
- 2 tomatoes (chopped)
- 1.5 cups water
- 1 onion, freshly chopped (to garnish)
- Cilantro, freshly chopped (to garnish)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix kala chana + 3 cups water. Soak overnight. Drain, rinse, and set aside.
- Set a stovetop pressure cooker over medium heat. For electric pressure cooker, press SAUTE. Add oil. Once it's hot, add garlic + ginger + onion. Stir and saute until the onion is translucent.
- Add kala chana. Stir and mix well. Cover with a lid (do not seal), and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add pumpkin + turmeric powder + cumin powder + coriander powder + red chili powder + salt + tomatoes. Stir and mix well. Cover with a lid (do not seal), and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add in 1.5 cups water and mix some more. Using a wooden spoon, scrape off any brown bits from the bottom of the cooker.
- Time to pressure cook. Secure and seal the pressure cooker lid. For stovetop pressure cookers, cook over medium heat for 5-6 whistles. For electric pressure cookers, set the timer to 10 minutes. Make sure the pressure is released naturally (takes 10-15 minutes).
- Open the lid and mash the pumpkin using a potato masher. Add freshly chopped onion + cilantro, and stir.
- Pumpkin chana curry is ready. Serve over rice, roti, or your fav flatbreads.
Notes
- Yellow Pumpkins tend to be sweeter than Green 'Japanese' Pumpkins. If you're not fond of this sweetness, go with the green one (like I have).
Nutrition
If you enjoyed this Pumpkin Chana Curry, check out this delicious Baked Beans Veggie Curry I posted earlier.
If you like to support me and my work, check out my Indian Vegan Cookbook (and all my upcoming cookbooks), where I teach you how to make 64 delicious Indian plant-based recipes ranging from rice, dals, curries, breads, desserts, and more!
Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
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