Chana Masala - Indian Chickpea Curry
Authentic chana masala recipe, a traditional Indian dish made with chickpeas, onion-tomato sauce base and lots of aromatic spices.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of cooking oil
- 3 cardamom pods
- 2 small bay leaf
- 1 inch cinnamon stick optional
- 1 large onion or 2 small onions chopped
- 2 green chilis sliced
- 4-5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 inch ginger minced
- 30 oz Whole tomato with juice 3 large tomatoes chopped
Cooking Chickpeas/chana
- 1 1/2 cup dry chickpeas (about 300 g) 2 1/2 cans: 15 oz, drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 4 cups water divided to pressure cook and more for the sauce
Ground Spices
- 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- 2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon Garam masala
- 1 teaspoon Amchur dried mango powder, optional
Final tempering
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- 1/2 inch ginger julienned
- 2 green chilis slit lengthwise
Garnish
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Fresh coriander/Cilantro leaves chopped
- 1-2 tablespoons Plant-based cream
Instructions
Cook the Chickpeas
- Rinse dried chickpeas to remove dust and dirt. Soak them in 4 cups (1L) of water overnight or for at least 8 hours.
- Drain the water and rinse well.
- Add the chickpeas to a pressure cooker or instant pot with 2 cups (500 ml) water and pressure cook for 15-20 minutes. If using an instant pot, cook for about 20 minutes on high pressure. Let the pressure release naturally.
- Once the pressure is released, check the chickpeas for softness. If your chickpeas are not tender when you squeeze then pressure cook for another 5-10 minutes until done.
Making the Sauce
- Heat a large skillet and pour oil. When the oil turns hot (a bit and not smoking hot because that would burn your whole spices), add the whole spices - cardamoms, bay leaf, and cinnamon (if using).
- When they turn fragrant and sizzle a little, add the onions and green chili. Sauté until the onions are caramelized (takes about 10 minutes).
- Add minced ginger and garlic paste and saute for a minute so the raw smell leaves.
- Add the tomatoes and salt and let it cook covered until you see the oil separate from the top.
- Stir in red chili powder, turmeric, garam masala, coriander powder, and cumin powder. Sauté until the spices don’t smell raw anymore and start to smell delicious, about 3 minutes.
- Then add in the tomato and cook for another 3-4 minutes until you see the oil separate on the surface. Cover with a lid while it's cooking.
- You can skip this step but if you want a creamy smooth sauce, let this sauce cool, and discard the bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Add to a blender jar and process until smooth. You might have to add more water to help the blending. I also like to blend in a few tablespoons of cooked chickpeas with the onion tomato sauce.
- Add this creamy sauce to the pan along with the cooked chickpeas (or canned chickpeas).
- Mix well and taste it for salt and garam masala. Add more if required.
- Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Finally, add amchur powder if using and turn off the heat
Tempering
- In a small pan add the oil and let it become hot.
- Drop the cumin seeds and let them sizzle for a few seconds and then add the julienned ginger. Let the ginger get golden brown from all sides.
- Keep stirring for that to happen. Then, add the slit green chili peppers and fry the chilis till they turn kind of whitish on the surface.
- Pour this immediately on top of the chana masala and cover. Let it sit for about 5 minutes for the flavors to infuse.
Garnish
- Garnish Chana masala with fresh coriander/cilantro leaves, lemon juice, and some cream (if using).
- Serve with rotis, naan, or fresh basmati rice
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!