{"id":4774,"date":"2018-04-30T09:00:03","date_gmt":"2018-04-30T15:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/villasentieri.com\/?post_type=recipe&p=4774"},"modified":"2026-09-02T10:58:44","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T17:58:44","slug":"guyanese-curried-chickpeas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/2018\/04\/30\/guyanese-curried-chickpeas\/","title":{"rendered":"Guyanese Curried Chickpeas (Channa Masala)"},"content":{"rendered":"

April 30, 2018<\/span><\/p>\n

The largest ethnic group in Guyana is comprised of those of (East) Indian descent.\u00a0 When I was there in the 1970s and 1980s, Indians represented just over half of the population.\u00a0 As of the 2002 census, those of Indian descent represent just over 43 percent of the population.<\/p>\n

Other demographic groups in Guyana include those of African, Chinese, Western European, and mixed descent.\u00a0 Amerindians are now a very small percentage of the population.<\/p>\n

The cuisine of Guyana reflects its multicultural population.\u00a0 Curry is very popular as is roti, Indian-style flatbread.\u00a0 Chinese-style fried rice is a restaurant staple.\u00a0 A typical Sunday dish is Portuguese-derived garlic pork.\u00a0 British-style baked goods are popular, especially black cake around Christmastime.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The Guyana Supreme Court building (CC BY-SA 3.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=475676)<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A quick internet search demonstrated to me that the restaurant scene in Guyana has changed dramatically since my visits there.\u00a0 In the 70s and 80s, restaurants were, for the most part, very basic affairs.\u00a0 There were just a few that rose above \u201cbasic\u201d but even they were challenged to produce really good food because of the limitation on imported foodstuffs.<\/p>\n

\n

Click HERE<\/a> to join our mailing list and you\u2019ll never miss a recipe again!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Food prepared at home was generally of a better quality, and certainly displayed more variety, than what was available in restaurants \u201cback then.\u201d\u00a0 And, while in any given household there may be more foods reflective of the particular demographics of that household, popular dishes like curry, fried rice, garlic pork, and black cake are prepared in pretty much every household.\u00a0 They have really become Guyanese dishes, regardless of their ethnic origins.<\/p>\n

My last trip to Guyana was in early 1981.\u00a0 I finished medical school around the end of January and went to Guyana to work on the psychiatric unit at the public hospital in Georgetown, the capital, before beginning my internship at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in mid-June.\u00a0 At that time there was one psychiatrist who worked for the government of Guyana and one psychiatrist in private practice.\u00a0 The government psychiatrist, who lived a significant distance from Georgetown, was also responsible for overseeing the long-term psychiatric unit in Fort Canje, now referred to as the National Psychiatric Hospital.<\/p>\n

\n

Follow us on your social media platform of choice<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \u00a0 \u00a0\"\"<\/a> \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

The day I arrived at the public hospital in Georgetown, the psychiatrist was a no-show.\u00a0 He then made it clear that he had no intention of coming to the hospital for the duration of my stay.\u00a0 At the age of 26, just having finished medical school and not having done an internship, let alone a residency, I became the de-facto psychiatrist for the public hospital!<\/p>\n

\"\"
The Guyana Parliament Building (CC BY-SA 3.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=475699)<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The psychiatric unit consisted of four rooms (plus two bathrooms) on the upper floor above the morgue.\u00a0 The psychiatrist\u2019s office (my office) was the entry point to the unit.\u00a0 Behind the office was a very small nurses\u2019 station.\u00a0 There were two large wards, one on each side of the nurses\u2019 station.\u00a0 Each has eleven beds and no privacy.\u00a0 One ward was for men and one for women.\u00a0 Though we only had 22 beds, our census was often double that.\u00a0 There was no option to add beds so patients often slept two to a bed.<\/p>\n

In general, male patients were attended to by male nurses and female patients by female nurses.<\/p>\n

There was also a very, very busy outpatient clinic staffed by myself and three social workers.<\/p>\n

The male nurses started including me in some of their evening social gatherings.\u00a0 I remember a few held at the home of one of the nurses who was of Indian descent.\u00a0 We basically sat around talking, drinking rum, and eating.\u00a0 My love of spicy Indian food was met with amazement.\u00a0 The fact that I could eat incendiary atchar was sort of beyond belief.<\/p>\n

Whenever these gatherings happened, it was just us guys.\u00a0 Wives and girlfriends stayed away, even the wife of whomever was hosting the party (even though she would have prepared most if not all the food!).<\/p>\n

When I was in Guyana, pre-mixed curry powder was the norm in cooking.\u00a0 This recipe reflects that tendency.\u00a0 When I made Indian food frequently, I would keep one or two types of homemade curry powders on hand as a quick solution to a weeknight meal.\u00a0 For this recipe, feel free to use a good quality commercial curry powder.

<\/div>
\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n
\n \n <\/div>\n

Guyanese Curried Chickpeas<\/h2>\n
<\/div>\n \n
<\/div>\n
Two cans of chickpeas can be used instead of the 3 to 3 \u00bd cups of home cooked beans but home-cooked are so good, and so much better. If using canned chickpeas, taste the canning liquid to decide whether to use it or discard it and rinse the chickpeas. The curry should be basically dry at the end so do not put in too much liquid at the beginning. Although not strictly Guyanese, adding a tablespoon or so of minced ginger with the garlic is a welcome taste treat.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n Print Recipe<\/a>\n Pin Recipe<\/a>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
Prep Time <\/span>10 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Cook Time <\/span>30 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Total Time <\/span>40 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Servings: <\/span>8<\/span> people<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/g>\n\n\n\n<\/clipPath>\n<\/defs>\n<\/svg>\n<\/span> Ingredients<\/a>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/g>\n\n\n\n<\/clipPath>\n<\/defs>\n<\/svg>\n<\/span> Method<\/a>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span> Notes<\/a><\/div>\n
\n
\n

Ingredients
<\/div>