RecipenKitchen

Recipe

Lahori Chanay

1 h 30 min · Serves 4 · Pakistani

Why make it

A thick, deeply coloured chickpea curry in the style of Lahore's breakfast stalls, simmered with black tea and finished with ginger and lemon. Scoop it up with puri, kulcha or hot naan.

Serves 4

You’ll need

  • 250 g dried chickpeas (kabuli chana), soaked in water overn…
  • 1 black tea bag (or 1 tsp loose black tea tied in muslin)
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 1.2 l water, for boiling the chickpeas
  • 1½ tsp salt, or to taste
  • 4 tbsp cooking oil
  • 1 black cardamom
  • 1 bay leaf

+ 14 more in the full recipe
1

Step 1 of 10

Put the soaked chickpeas in a pressure cooker with the water, tea bag, baking soda and 1 tsp of the salt. Bring to a boil and skim off any foam.
2

Step 2 of 10

Close the lid and cook on medium heat for 30 minutes after the first whistle, then let the pressure release naturally. The chickpeas should crush easily between two fingers. If they are still firm, cook for 10 minutes more.
3

Step 3 of 10

Remove the tea bag and squeeze it lightly into the pot. Keep the chickpeas and their dark cooking liquid; you should have about 500 ml of liquid. Drain off any extra and save it.
4

Step 4 of 10

Heat the oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the black cardamom, bay leaf and cumin seeds and let them sizzle for 30 seconds.
5

Step 5 of 10

Add the chopped onions and fry, stirring often, until deep golden brown at the edges.

The last 5 steps are in the full recipe.

Cook’s tip

Soak the chickpeas overnight; the baking soda and tea in the boiling water give a soft texture and the classic dark brown colour.

Ready to cook?

Lahori Chanay

Exact amounts, every step, timings and tips, free on RecipenKitchen.

 Get the full recipe