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Kala Chana Kabab | Vegetarian kabab
Sneha Paul

Kala Chana Kabab | Vegetarian kabab

Kala chana kabab is an appetising and protein-rich snack. This vegetarian kabab is the perfect starter for any party. Serve them with a refreshing fried-garlic yoghurt dip.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 20 kababs
Course: Snack
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the kabab:
  • 2 cups kala chana or black chickpea
  • 2 medium-sized onions roughly chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves roughly chopped
  • ½ inch ginger roughly chopped
  • ½ cup coriander leaves chopped
  • ¼ cup mint leaves chopped
  • 2 green chillies deseeded
  • 8-9 tbsp fine besan also known as gram flour or chickpea flour
  • 2 tbsp kebab masala
  • Salt to taste
  • 4 cup water
  • Oil for frying
For the kabab masala:
  • 2 tsp black peppercorn
  • 1 tbsp coriander seeds
  • 2- inch cinnamon stick broken in half
  • 1 small black cardamom
  • 2 green cardamom pods
  • 8-10 cloves
For the Fried Garlic Yoghurt dip
  • ½ cup yoghurt
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove medium-sized
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp black pepper crushed
  • Salt to taste

Method
 

To cook the kala chana:
  1. Wash and soak kala chana in enough water for 8 hours or overnight.
  2. Drain the water and add the chana in a pressure cooker. Pour 4 cups of water. Secure the lid and cook over a high flame. After the first whistle, reduce the flame to low. Cook for 15 minutes or 6 whistles.
  3. Turn the flame off and release the pressure. Remove the lid. Pour the boiled chana into a bowl and reserve ⅔ cup boiled chana water. Allow them to cool down. Then pour the boiled chana and chana water in a blender jar. Grind to a smooth paste.
To make the kebab masala:
  1. Heat a non-stick pan over a low flame. Add black peppercorn, coriander seeds, cinnamon stick, cloves, black cardamom and green cardamom pods. Dry roast all the whole spice for a few minutes until fragrant. Turn the heat off and transfer them to a plate. After they cool down, grind them to a fine powder.
  2. To make the Fried Garlic Yoghurt dip:
  3. Heat olive oil in a small tadka pan over low flame. Add a medium-sized clove of garlic. Fry until it becomes golden in colour. Turn the heat off and mash the garlic clove with a spoon in the pan.
  4. Pour yoghurt in a bowl and whisk well. Pour mashed garlic clove with the oil, lemon juice, black pepper and salt. Mix well and pour it into the serving bowl.
To make kala chana kebab:
  1. Heat the same non-stick pan over medium flame. Add besan or gram flour. Cook it for a few minutes, stirring continuously, until the raw smell goes away. Turn the flame off and keep it aside to cool down.
  2. In a blender jar, add chopped coriander leaves, mint leaves, onion, garlic, ginger and green chillies. Grind to a smooth paste.
  3. In a large bowl, add chana paste, roasted basan, coriander-onion paste, 2 tablespoon kebab masala and salt. Combine everything well.
  4. Heat oil in a non-stick pan over medium flame. Apply a little oil on your palms, take a small portion of the kebab mixture, form a ball and flatten it. Carefully drop the kebabs in the hot oil.
  5. Shallow fry until it becomes crisp and golden on both sides.
  6. Serve the kala chan kebabs with fried garlic yoghurt dip, onion slices and lemon wedges.

Notes

If the kababs break while frying or flipping, then the kabab mixture is too moist. Add more roasted besan and mix well. Fry them over a medium-low flame. The kababs should be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.