Can I Pressure Cook Dry Chana? (5 Steps)

By using a pressure cooker instead of boiling dry chana, the Indian name for chickpeas, you can cook it within 10 minutes -- reducing your cooking time by around an hour. While canned chickpeas which are pre-cooked seem like a more convenient method of utilizing this bean, pressure-cooked dry chana offers all the nutrition without the unhealthy processing you get from canned foods. Pressure-cooked chana has a creamy, nutty flavor and firm texture that you can enjoy on its own or add to salads, soups and stews.

Things You'll Need

Bowl
Water

Pressure cooker

Instructions

Examine the dry chana and discard any dirt, foreign particles or shriveled or discolored bits.
Fill a bowl with water and place the dry chana in it. Ensure that the water covers the chana completely. Let it soak for 4 hours up to overnight. Soaking will rehydrate the chana and cause them to swell to twice their size.
Discard the water from the bowl in which the chana was soaking. Rinse the chana under running water. Drain and set aside.
Fill a pressure cooker with water. Set it on high heat and pour in the chana. Use a ratio of around 3 cups of water for every 1 cup of chana. Place the lid on the pressure cooker and lock it.
Cook on high heat for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for another 15 minutes or until the chana is soft.

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