Chana Masala Recipe
This is a Chana Masala recipe from India. I love to double this recipe!
If you don’t want it spicy, put in half (or less) of the green chili and red chili powder.
- 9 ounces of chickpeas
Soak the chickpeas over night if you are using fresh ones, then cook for 1.5 hours. To save time, Liz style, use 1 can of organic chickpeas in water. Pour into a bowl and set aside.
- 1 large onion –chopped
- 2 big cloves of garlic (diced)
- 2-inch piece of ginger (grated)
- 1 green chili (slit lengthwise)
Blend these ingredients together in a food processor, then fry. To save time, chop finely and fry.
- 2/3 cup of oil – Vegetable oil is yummy, but I usually use Olive oil
In a fry pan, add the oil. Fry the chopped ingredients a few minutes, then add:
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander (cilantro)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- pinch of asafetida (you can skip it if you can’t find it)
- 2 ¼ tablespoons garam masala
- 1 cinnamon stick (leave whole while cooking – remove when dish is complete)
- 1 bay leaf (leave whole while cooking –remove when dish is complete)
- 2 teaspoons of cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons of coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoons of cloves
- 1-2 chopped tomato
Fry all ingredients except the tomato for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add tomato. Once browned, add 5 cups of chickpea water. If using canned chickpea, use the juice from the can and regular water to make 5 cups. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
Add the chickpeas and cook for about 15-20 minutes. Sauce should reduce to a thick brown gravy. Sprinkle salt to taste.
Enjoy!
It tastes amazing the next day…all the spices have time to soak and absorb into your chickpeas, which is why I like to double my recipe. Traditionally people eat this with puris. Puris are incredible! I could eat dozens – but they are best fresh and add time to the meal prep time. They are hard to find pre-made in the States. An easy alternate is rice (which you can cook while you are making the chena) or warm tortillas (flour). It still tastes mighty good. If you find your chana masala is too spicy, add plain yogurt to it. This will help extinguish the flaming tongue and add a smooth creamy texture.
Do you use ground or whole cloves? And what kind of green chili? Seeds and membranes removed or left in? Can’t wait to try it!
Hi Chris,
Yes, whole cloves. You can pick them out once the dish is prepared.
The green chili i use is called “fresh small green chili”, at the Asian store… thai chili’s are often found in the market in the States and can be used as a great alternative to the Indian green chili. Seeds and all left in. If you don’t want it to be too spicy…remove the seeds!