Incredible Boil Channa

While similar to the texture and flavor of the Channa (chickpeas) served when you purchase Doubles in Trinidad and Tobago, this version is a bit more runny and typically treated as a thick soup. Served in a bowl or cup and topped with chutneys and pepper sauces for a hearty meal before a meal.

Photo by Chris De La Rosa

You’ll Need…

1 1/2 cups Channa (dried chickpeas)
4 cups veg stock
4 cups water (adjust)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt (adjust)
8 cloves garlic (divided)
3/4 teaspoon turmeric
3/4 teaspoon anchar masala
3/4 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
3/4 teaspoon ground roasted geera (cumin)
1 habanero pepper (sliced thin)
1 pimento pepper (sliced thin)
3-4 tablespoon chopped Chadon Beni (culantro)

Notes! You’ll need to adjust the liquid as it cooks. May I suggest that you follow along with the video below as much more about the recipe is discussed there. If making this gluten free, please go through the full list of ingredients to ensure they meet your gluten free dietary requirements.

Wash and soak the chickpeas (channa) in a deep bowl covered by at least 2 inches of water, overnight. Should you want to add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to the bowl, it will assist in cooking the channa quicker after. I didn’t.
Baking soda can help significantly since it increases the pH of the water, disintegrating that pectin and allowing beans to soften quicker.

Photo by Chris De La Rosa

Drain the water and add the now plump Channa to a deep pot, followed by 1/2 of the garlic (smashed), salt, turmeric, Caribbean Green Seasoning, Anchar masala and black pepper. Pour in the water and veg stock and bring to a boil, then reduce to between a simmer and rolling boil.

Photo by Chris De La Rosa

As explained in the video, I wanted to keep this fully vegan so I used vegetable stock, but you may use chicken stock if you wanted. We also discussed using all water as with the traditional way of making this soup-like dish.

Photo by Chris De La Rosa

Adjust the liquid as it boils (top with more water or stock as needed) and cook until the channa (chickpeas) starts to fall apart. Yes, using a pressure cooker will cut back on the cooking time tremendously.

Photo by Chris De La Rosa

After 2 hours they were tender to my liking. I removed 3/4 cup of it and did a quick puree in my blender as I wanted to thicken things up a bit. You may use a potato masher if you want and quickly crush some in the pot itself. After pouring back the pureed liquid to the pot it was time to add the finishing flavor elements.

Add the remaining garlic (crushed), peppers, ground geera (cumin) and Chadon Beni. Should you not have Chadon Beni (culantro), you may use Cilantro (coriander). Keep in mind that adding the Habanero pepper will make this SPICY, so you can leave it out and serve with a side of good homemade peppersauce.

Give it another 5-10 minutes, then taste and adjust the salt to your liking. Once happy with the consistency (should be like a thick soup), turn off the heat and enjoy. Keep in mind that it will further thicken as it cools.

Source:caribbeanpot.com