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4.15 from 7 votes

Trinidad curry channa and aloo (chickpeas and potatoes)

Trinidad curry channa and aloo is a delicious curry dish made with chickpeas, potatoes, a unique curry powder blend and Caribbean herbs.
Prep Time8 hours
Cook Time1 hour 25 minutes
Total Time9 hours 25 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Caribbean, Indian
Keyword: curry, curry channa
Servings: 6
Calories: 200kcal
Author: Ros Singh

Ingredients

Channa prep

  • cups dried channa (chickpeas)
  • 5 cups water (for soaking)
  • 3 tbsp Caribbean green seasoning (with chadon beni, garlic, and pepper)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • ½ tsp salt

Channa and aloo

  • 3 small potatoes
  • 1 onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 pimento peppers (or any pepper of choice)
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1 tbsp curry powder (Caribbean version)
  • ½ - 1 tsp salt
  • 5 cups water (for cooking)

Instructions

Channa prep

  • Rinse channa thoroughly.
  • Place in a bowl with the 5 cups of water and cover. Leave to soak overnight (about 8 hours).
  • Rinse the channa again thoroughly at least 3 times. Drain water.
  • Mix the soaked peas with green seasoning, baking powder, sugar, and ½ tsp salt.
  • Set aside.

Channa and aloo

  • Peel the potatoes and cut into 1-inch pieces.
  • Peel and chop the onion and garlic. Dice the pepper.
  • In a large pot on medium heat, add oil and allow to heat up.
  • Sauté the chopped onions until translucent.
  • Add garlic and pepper. Sauté for 2 minutes.
  • Mix in curry powder.
  • Patch the curry for 2 minutes.
  • Add ¼ cup of water and stir.
  • Cook until the curry becomes a thick paste (5 minutes).
  • Mix in the potatoes and seasoned channa.
  • Patch for 10 minutes (the potatoes and chickpeas should release their own water).
  • As the channa and potatoes become dry, add the remaining water (5 cups), enough to completely cover everything. Add more water for a thinner sauce.
  • Cook until the channa is soft (this can take 40 mins to 1 hour).
  • Mash several peas with the back of a spoon to thicken the sauce.
  • Taste test the peas and add the remaining salt (adjust down for lower salt intake)
  • Serve hot.

Notes

  • Use canned channa as a substitute for dried channa. This will eliminate steps #1 and #2, reducing the prep time. The canned channa will also cook faster so add the potatoes to the curry paste first and allow to cook for about 10 minutes before adding the chickpeas and water (use less water too). Cook until the channa and aloo are both soft.