Chickpea masala (chana masala) - Combine the rich flavor of chickpeas with aromatic Indian spices to create this classic chickpea curry. It's a great addition to a sumptuous meal of rotis, rice, batura, and parathas. A sprinkling of fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves adds instant flavor.
To be honest, there's something really satisfying about a sumptuous vegetarian meal. Even though I'm a meat lover, a good vegetarian menu always has a top place on my dinner table.
When it comes to vegetarian dishes, one of my most favorite ingredients to cook with is chickpeas. Highly nutritious and delicious golden peas.
If you're into Indian food, this chana masala well-known for its richness and deliciousness must be on your recipe repertoire. On the surface, it's just like any other Indian curry, heavily loaded with spices. But, the addition of chickpeas literally brings out a whole new level of flavor.
Chickpeas is the core of this curry. I mean, both dried and canned chickpeas taste great in this curry. With dried chickpeas, you'll need to soak them overnight and then boil them until tender before adding to the curry. You know, this is going to be a very long process.
So, I have this easy chickpea masala recipe for you especially for days when you haven't pre-planned your menu. And this is where the convenient canned chickpeas come in. All you need to do is rinse them well, and add to the curry.
Alright, to prep the curry, we'll start with making ginger garlic paste. Fresh ginger, garlic cloves and green chili makes a really aromatic paste which is going to add so much flavor to the curry.
Now, the actual process of making this chana masala. Heat up the oil, and flavor it with a bay leaf. Splutter cumin seeds, and fry onions until golden. Fry ginger garlic paste. The ground spices, ground turmeric, ground coriander, ground black pepper and red chili powder takes this sauce to a whole new level.
To make the sauce thick, I added canned tomatoes. You can also use fresh tomatoes instead. Just let the tomatoes cook, and now we have the base of the curry.
Now chickpeas goes in to soak up all the flavors of the sauce along with chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves. And don't forget to season. Let the curry simmer for few minutes before adding our final ingredient to flavor the curry. Garam masala. Trust me, this curry is freaking delicious.
All in all, this chickpea masala is the kind of dish that makes you want to lick your fingers.
Easy Chana Masala | Chickpea Masala | Video
Ingredients
Ginger garlic paste:
- 4 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 1 inch fresh ginger roughly chopped
- 1 large green chili chopped
Chickpea masala:
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 dried bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoon ground coriander coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black peppercorns black pepper powder
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 200 g canned diced tomatoes or 2 large tomatoes finely chopped
- 400 g canned chickpeas drained and rinsed
- ½ cup chopped coriander cilantro leaves
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- Salt to taste
- Water
- Coriander cilantro leaves, chopped, to garnish
Instructions
- To make ginger garlic paste, place garlic cloves, ginger and green chili in the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a large pan over medium- high heat. Fry bay leaf. Splutter cumin seeds. Add onions. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until they turn golden brown. Stir in ground paste. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
- Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, black pepper powder and red chili powder. Stir fry for a minute. Stir in tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes. When oil starts to appear, add chickpeas and coriander (cilantro) leaves. Season with salt.
- Add ¾ cup water, bring to a simmer and cook for 3-4 minutes. Stir in garam masala. Heat through and remove from heat.
- Garnish with more coriander (cilantro) leaves, and serve with rice, roti, paratha, batura or naan.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Ethan says
Is there a way to make this recipe in a slow cooker?
Rose Mary George says
Yes, use dried chickpeas instead of canned chickpeas. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. 🙂
Catherine Worley says
My whole family loved this recipe! Obviously, it took some time to do all the chopping, but other than that, it was very easy to make. Thank you!