Chana Masala Recipe
Chana masala is a popular Indian dish made from chickpeas (also known as chana) cooked in a flavorful, aromatic tomato-based sauce with various spices
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup dried chickpeas or use 1.5 cups canned chickpeas, drained
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 1 cup cubed ripe tomatoes
- 1/2 tsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp grated ginger
- 1/2 tsp red chilli powder adjust to taste
- 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder optional, gives extra red colour with less heat
- 1 tsp garam masala or chana masala (I use store-bought)
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves cilantro
- 2 tbsp oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash and soak 3/4 cup dried chickpeas in sufficient water for 8 hours or overnight
- Cook the soaked chickpeas until tender. Using a pressure cooker or Instant pot will make this much quicker. Keep aside.
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan and add 1 cup chopped onions along with 1/2 tsp minced garlic, 1/2 tsp grated ginger and mix well.
- Cook until the onions turn soft.
- Then add 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder (if using), 1 tsp coriander powder, and some Salt.
- Fry for a minute and then add 1 cup cubed ripe tomatoes.
- Mix everything well together and cook till the tomatoes turn soft.
- Remove onto a plate and let it cool completely.
- Grind to a paste (as smooth as you like) without adding any water and return to the same pan
- Turn on heat and add the cooked chickpeas along with 1 cup water
- Bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes until the flavours blend well together.
- Add 1 tsp garam masala and 3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves.
- Adjust salt and turn off heat. Your chana masala is ready!
Notes
- Use 3/4 cup dry chickpeas or 1.5 cups canned chickpeas, drained
- Adjust salt to your preference. Some canned chickpeas come with salt so make sure to check before adding
- You can use MDH kitchen king masala instead of garam masala. I personally love the flavour
- Use fresh, ripe tomatoes for best flavour
- If you want your curry to be more tangy, you can add amchur powder or a small amount of tamarind paste.
- Fresh coriander elevates the flavour so do not miss that
- You can swap out red chilli powder for green chillies. This will impact the colour so add some Kashmiri chilli powder to make up for that.