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BLANK » Recipe Index » Caribbean Dishes

Curry Channa and Aloo (Vegan, GF)

June 9, 2020 by Charla 24 Comments

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long channa pin

Love Chickpeas? Then I got you with this delicious Trinidadian style cuisine called curry channa and aloo, curried chickpeas cooked down in fragrant spices with potatoes served on a bed of brown rice to optimise nutrition. Free from coconut milk and no tomatoes are required for the actual curry.

chickpeas and potato in a pot

This recipe hails from the island of Trinidad and Tobago also known as sweet T&T.

Trust me it is super tasty and is guaranteed to be a family favourite and comes together in less than an hour.

Overhead shot of the dish

It all started with a family friend from Arima in Trinidad , whenever I'd pay her a flying visit, she'd always have something amazing cooking in the kitchen.

Being from different islands provided us with the perfect opportunity to exchange culinary differences, sometimes we'd exchange recipes or just have a general chit chat. One thing for sure, we both shared a love for cooking.

I'll never forget the day our friend introduced us to channa and aloo  aka aloo channa which basically translates to chickpeas and potatoes.

It was brimming with flavour and so aromatic, as I sat there waiting for her to serve dinner my mouth was literally watering, it was so embarrassing but in hindsight that's what her food did to us.

In short this recipe pays homage to her because she shared her unique way of making this dish.

I tweaked the recipe a bit by using Caribbean sweet potatoes because I love them more than russet/Irish potatoes.

I also struggle at the best of times to get shado beni so used green seasoning along with cilantro to compensate for that unique taste.

You can use dried or canned chickpeas, I tend to use dried chickpeas and simply cooked a huge batch and freeze them down.

Ingredients you will need

ingredients for the channa and aloo

Cooking chickpeas

We know that dried chickpeas are more affordable then buying individual cans, however a lot of people rely on them because of convenience.

The best way to save money and time in the long run is to batch cook your legumes (in this case your chickpeas) freeze them down in a zip lock/ freezer bag and use accordingly.

Be sure to use any of the following cooking methods;

  • Instant pot: Set your unit for 25 minutes on high pressure
  • Stove top: Cook the chickpeas on medium heat, lid on for up to an hour.

The steps

steps 1-6 making the channa and aloo

  • On medium heat, add the oil and heat up a non stick skillet/dutch pot.
  • Temper (fry) the cumin seeds until they become fragrant (don't burn) (Picture 1)
  • Add the onion, garlic and chives (scallion) saute until they are soft and translucent (Picture 2)
  • Stir the curry paste and cook the curry mixture for about 1 minute (Picture 3)
  • Add the remaining seasoning - the black pepper, green seasoning, cilantro, pink salt and scotch bonnet if you are using it and stir for another minute (Picture 4)
  • Add the chickpeas and sweet potatoes and coat in the seasoning (Picture 5)
  • Pour the hot water into the dutch pot/skillet (picture 6)
  • Bring to a rolling boil, reduce the heat to medium/low, cover with a lid then allow to simmer for 30 minutes until most of the liquid absorbs and the curry thickens up.

Do you have any other vegan curry recipes?

Yes try Vegan Chickpea Curry, Pumpkin Curry, Caribbean Potato Curry and Plantain Curry.

Serving suggestions

Typically Trinidadians will serve this dish with some roti, you have got to try my Gluten Free Roti recipe, it is a hit and very much foolproof or try eating it with some Brown Rice instead.

If you are looking for a low carb option then my Herb Cauliflower Rice is more suitable.

Notes and tips

  • Chives are the Trinidadian name of scallion/spring onion
  • I used green seasoning and cilantro (coriander leaves) in place of chadon beni because it's not easy to get in the UK. If you don't care to cilantro use just the Green Seasoning alone.
  • If there is still a lot of liquid leftover then increase the heat to high so it evaporates most of it.
  • Free free to serve this dish with some Gluten Free Roti or Almond Flour Roti.
  • Use the amount of scotch bonnet you need, the raw heat is in the membrane and by using a whole scotch bonnet means you won't get any heat just flavour.
  • Cumin is quite a pungent spice which is why I only use ½ tsp, if you are familiar with the taste of cumin and don't like it then simply skip tempering the spice.
  • Make sure the chickpeas are canned or cooked already, see the recipe post on how to cook your dried chickpeas ahead of time.
  • If you are not using dried chickpeas grab 2 cans of chickpeas in water (not salt) and drain off the water.
  • This meal is freezer friendly so freeze down any leftovers.

curry on a plate with some in a balti dish

More Trinidadian recipes you should try

  • Saltfish Buljol
  • Gluten Free Roti (Sada roti)
  • Trinidad Corn Soup
  • Baigan Choka
  • Tomato Choka
  • Coconut Bake
  • Trinidad Stew Chicken

**Don't forget to comment below and star rate if you have tried my recipes. Let's be friends and engage on Facebook and Instagram I also like to pin on Pinterest, where you can find more amazing recipes.**

chana, rice and vegetables

Curry Channa and Aloo

Delicious channa (chickpeas) and aloo (potatoes) is a copy cat version of this Trinidadian recipe using sweet potatoes for nutritional density.
5 from 9 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Entree
Cuisine: Trinidadian
Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 183kcal
Author: Charla

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoon olive/coconut oil (28g)
  • ½ teaspoon of cumin seeds or use powder (1g)
  • 1 tablespoon + 1tsp of curry powder mixed with 3 tablespoon of water
  • 1 small onion chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 3 chives (scallion) sliced
  • 1 tablespoon green seasoning (15g)
  • 1 tablespoon coriander (cilantro)(6g)
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper (0.5g)
  • 1 teaspoon pink salt (6g)
  • scotch bonnet optional, use what you need
  • 2 cups cooked chickpeas 2 14oz cans of chickpeas, drained (328g)
  • 3 medium sweet potatoes cubed and peeled
  • 2 ½ cups hot water (591ml)

Instructions

  • On medium heat, add the oil and heat up a non stick skillet/dutch pot
  • Temper (fry) the cumin seeds until they become fragrant (don't burn)
  • Add the onion, garlic and chives (scallion) saute until they are soft and translucent.
  • Stir the curry paste and cook the curry mixture for about one minute.
  • Add the remaining seasoning - green seasoning , coriander (cilantro), the black pepper, pink salt and scotch bonnet if you are using it and stir for another minute
  • Add the chickpeas and sweet potatoes and coat in the seasoning
  • Pour the hot water into the dutch pot/skillet
  • Bring to a rolling boil, reduce the heat to medium/low, cover with a lid then allow to simmer for 30 minutes until most of the liquid absorbs and the curry thickens up. Once cooked, do a taste test to adjust for additional salt or pepper if needed.

Notes

  • Chives are the Trinidadian name of scallion/spring onion
  • I used green seasoning and cilantro (coriander leaves) in place of chadon beni because it's not easy to get in the UK. If you don't care to cilantro use just the Green Seasoning alone.
  • If there is still a lot of liquid leftover then increase the heat to high so it evaporates most of it.
  • Free free to serve this dish with some Gluten Free Roti or Almond Flour Roti.
  • Use the amount of scotch bonnet you need, the raw heat is in the membrane and by using a whole scotch bonnet means you won't get any heat just flavour.
  • Cumin is quite a pungent spice which is why I only use ½ tsp, if you are familiar with the taste of cumin and don't like it then simply skip tempering the spice.
  • Make sure the chickpeas are canned or cooked already, see the recipe post on how to cook your dried chickpeas ahead of time.
  • If you are not using dried chickpeas grab 2 cans of chickpeas in water (not salt) and drain off the water.
  • This meal is freezer friendly so freeze down any leftovers.

Nutrition

Calories: 183kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 628mg | Potassium: 561mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 9342IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @ThatGirlCooksHealthy or tag #ThatGirlCooksHealthy!

More Caribbean Dishes

  • Jamaican Boiled Dumplings (Gluten Free)
  • Caribbean peanut punch
    Caribbean Peanut Punch
  • A single bowl of conch salad
    Bahamian Conch Salad Recipe
  • A bowl of different chopped fruit
    Tropical Fruit Salad

About Charla

I'm Charla. Caribbean foodie & Certified Health Coach. Welcome to the heaven of gluten and dairy free recipes as well as modernised healthier alternatives to some of your favourite Caribbean recipes.

Comments

  1. Kiki says

    July 07, 2022 at 3:39 am

    5 stars
    This came out really good. I have already recommended it too friends

    Reply
    • Charla says

      July 07, 2022 at 7:08 am

      Yay! I'm so glad to hear that Kiki.

      Reply
  2. Toni says

    June 10, 2020 at 2:10 pm

    5 stars
    I'd be happy to eat this for dinner any night of the week!

    Reply
    • Charla says

      June 10, 2020 at 3:15 pm

      You and me both Toni 🙂

      Reply
  3. Gail Montero says

    June 10, 2020 at 1:52 pm

    5 stars
    Love that these chickpeas and sweet potatoes are smothered in all these delicious spices! A must-make!

    Reply
    • Charla says

      June 10, 2020 at 3:14 pm

      Thanks Gail.

      Reply
  4. Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says

    June 10, 2020 at 1:36 pm

    5 stars
    Now this sounds absolutely delicious, I love chickpeas and am always looking for new dishes to try!

    Reply
    • Charla says

      June 10, 2020 at 3:16 pm

      Much appreciated Bintu

      Reply
    • Natasha says

      October 01, 2023 at 4:28 pm

      5 stars
      Such a lovely warm Caribbean dish. Channa is comfort food for me... I might add a little pumpkin next time.
      Thank you Charla

      Reply
      • Charla says

        October 01, 2023 at 4:40 pm

        You are very welcome

        Reply
  5. Michelle says

    June 10, 2020 at 1:10 pm

    5 stars
    This is such a great dish, perfectly spiced and delicious! This is a firm favourite in our house now, thanks so much for sharing your recipe x

    Reply
    • Charla says

      June 10, 2020 at 1:19 pm

      You are very welcome Michelle

      Reply
  6. Alex says

    June 10, 2020 at 12:36 pm

    5 stars
    The flavours in this dish are absolutely superb! Just the right amount of spice for me. I will definitely be making this again. Thank you for this delicious recipe!

    Reply
    • Charla says

      June 10, 2020 at 12:43 pm

      Thank you Alex, so glad that you enjoyed the dish.

      Reply
  7. THE HUNGRY MUM says

    June 26, 2015 at 2:28 am

    looks superb! Chickpeas rock my world. Bet it smells amazing!

    Reply
    • Charla says

      June 26, 2015 at 7:07 am

      Yes, very aromatic and incredibly healthy.

      Reply
  8. Brian Jones says

    June 25, 2015 at 8:45 am

    I could go for a huge bowl of this, I love chickpea curries 🙂

    Reply
    • Charla says

      June 25, 2015 at 8:58 pm

      Thanks Brian, do give it a try.

      Reply
  9. Tastesspicy says

    June 25, 2015 at 2:47 am

    Awesome!

    Reply
    • Charla says

      June 25, 2015 at 7:15 am

      Thanks Nita.

      Reply
  10. shilpi says

    June 24, 2015 at 7:20 pm

    wow, that look so amazingly delicious. Love this combination. I also love making different combination channa like chana bell pepper, channa bottle gaurd, channa paneer.

    Reply
    • Charla says

      June 24, 2015 at 8:14 pm

      Hi Shilpi, Channa is SO diverse, the things you can do with it is endless. Channa bell pepper sounds so divine.

      Reply
  11. Laureen Fox says

    June 24, 2015 at 5:00 am

    Oh I love channa. I have a couple of girlfriends who lived in TT and we used to make the dish all the time. Haven't had it in ages tho. Time to do something about that! Thanks for the reminder 🙂

    Reply
    • Charla says

      June 24, 2015 at 7:35 am

      Yes, it's one of my favourite dishes from T&T, glad to hear someone else loves it too.

      Reply
5 from 9 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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a picture of Charla

Hey, I'm Charla!

I'm an avid Caribbean foodie. Welcome to the haven of gluten and dairy free recipes as well as modernised healthier alternatives to some of your favourite Caribbean recipes.

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