This is probably one of my favorite chickpea dishes but for some reason I always seem to forget about it! My mom has been making this since I was in high school and it was one of the first dishes I learned to make since it’s soo easy and requires minimal ingredients. Also - it's vegan!
One of my dad’s friends is from Trinidad and we would always go to their house for cookouts and it was easily some of the best food I have ever eaten. My mom learned to make this from them and I learned from her!
These curried chickpeas & potatoes are extremely flavorful even tho it only requires two ingredients for spices. My kitchen smelled so amazing while I was cooking it that I had to eat some right away before taking any pics! Lol!
I use raw chickpeas as I don’t like anything canned (the smell when you open it puts me off - I only use canned in desperate times). You can use canned if you like, I think one can should be enough but you can add one more if preferred but the spices may have to be adjusted. Also, my mom makes a habanero sauce at home so I just threw in a tablespoon of that instead of fresh peppers since it’s what I had on hand. You can remove or leave the seeds depending on how spicy you like it!
The gravy for this dish tends to thicken quickly as it cools because of the chickpeas and potatoes. You can add more or less water as desired for the consistency you like.
Can’t wait for you guys to try this dish! It’s bomb! Even hubs said it tastes exactly like what he used to get back in NYC in the Trini restaurants! Don’t forget to tag me @thecurriedcook! Enjoy - happy eating!
Trini Chana Aloo
Ingredients:
1 cup raw chickpeas (soaked overnight)
1 yellow onion, diced finely
1 potato, diced
1-2 habanero peppers or scotch bonnet (if you can find them!), finely minced
1 tsp cumin seeds
1.5 tbsp curry powder
3 tbsp oil
2 cups water + more if needed
Cilantro for garnish
Directions:
1. Place soaked chickpeas in instant pot and pressure cook for 40 minutes. (If you don’t have time to pre-soak then cook for 70 min). Let pressure naturally release, then drain & rinse chickpeas. Set aside.
2. In a heavy bottomed pot, like a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Once oil is shimmering, add cumin seeds and cook for a minute then add onions. Do not let cumin brown. Let the onions cook down for about 10 minutes, until they are well done-golden brown. Now add curry powder and sauté for another 2 minutes.
3. Next, add habanero peppers and potatoes. Sauté on medium-high, until potatoes have browned a bit on some sides (they will not be done, however the char on them adds flavor). Then add chickpeas, water and salt. Stir well to combine everything.
4. Close lid and simmer for about 20 minutes on medium heat, stirring in between about 2-3 times. Check to see if potatoes are done and that’s it! Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with roti, bhatura or even rice!
