Before you add yogurt to anything, it helps to whisk it vigorously till it's super-smooth. Then add it to your pan a few drops at a time, working fast with the stirring-hand to incorporate it with the rest of the ingredients before it can curdle. Then don't let it go too long without tending it, and don't use too high a temperature. I would add it when everything else is just about finished cooking, then just go long enough to get it hot. And still sometimes it will curdle--sometimes I succeed, sometimes I don't.

You could try running it in the blender with a little bit of water water and some chick-pea flour, as for kadhi, then follow the instructions above for incorporating it into the pan on your stove. This should keep it from curdling too, if you do it right.

Nelson Muntz: HA HA!

Hey, at least it was a cheap mistake. :)

The spicing was probably wrong. I've ended up eating my "styrofoam pellets" curdled mess-ups more than a few times. It is really a texture issue not a taste issue, although it can / does change the taste if it's a delicate dish. I wouldn't think of chana masala as delicate.

Luckily while high heat will make curd curdle and separate, it will eventually blend into the curry... might take a while. Basically you made curd cheese and now you've got to melt it, although some of the graininess will never go away, so it's best to not do it in the first place. (Chana is a tough old bean and can take extra cooking easily.)

curd can be beat, and you can temper it in like you would eggs. Also, low or non-fat curd tends to go wonky when really hot vs full fat - this seems backwards, but it's true. Supposedly the acid or some other magical compound in tomatoes causes faster curdling too, but I'm no sold on it.

If you wanted to use the same ingredients, then just add the curd at the end, after you've turned the heat off and it's cooled down a bit. Or Just add a dollop of curd on the plate when you serve it, let the diners stir it in. But I'm thinking the off-taste is the spices.

Standard versions are roughly

chickpea
onion / garlic (or hing)
ginger / chilly
amchur
tomato
garam masala
fresh hara dhania

And BTW, uh, many many curries look like vomit. :)

I once made some bad, bad, bad, bad dahl, and damn if I didn't make GALLONS of it! I tried to force myself to eat it but it was just too gross. My roommate laaaaaughed & laughed as I filled half a garbage bag with the crap & carted it out to the dumpster.

even with the talk of the food gone wrong, you guys are making me hungry for chana masala! i love chickpeas, and this is my favorite way to eat them!