Chana Masala

Easy and simple Chana Masala using raw chickpeas which are soaked overnight and then cooked with onion, tomatoes and spices.

This popular Indian dish is vegan and gluten-free and pairs well with rice or naan.

This Chana Masala

✔ is vegan and gluten-free

✔ protein-packed dish for vegetarians and vegans

✔ wonderfully spiced

✔ freezes well and also great for meal planning

The dish uses everyday Indian spices like coriander powder, cumin powder, paprika, turmeric and garam masala.

Often, red chili powder is also used. I haven’t used it here since I am not a fan of heat but feel free to add it if you like.

The base of the dish is a onion-tomato masala which is made by cooking fresh onion and tomatoes along with ginger-garlic and green chili.

The spices are then added to the masala along with boiled chickpeas and them simmered until done.

This recipe is pretty basic and straight forward, if you like cooking Indian food, then you most likely will have all these spices at home.

Tips to Make Good Chana Masala

Here are some of my tips to make a good chana masala at home!

Use raw chickpeas: okay, I know there’s always a rush to have dinner ready and so we tend to use the canned stuff often.

However, if you can plan ahead I highly recommend using raw chickpeas for the recipe and soaking it overnight.

It does make a difference to the final taste of the chana masala. Take it from someone who grew up eating this dish very regularly, the canned version isn’t just the same.

Use fresh ingredients: like using fresh ginger-garlic in place of store bought ginger-garlic paste makes a difference to the final taste.

Simmer for 10-15 minutes on medium-low: once you have added the boiled/cooked chickpeas along with water to the pot, lower the heat to medium-low and let it simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. This helps the flavors to come together, do not skip this step.

Don’t skip on the kasuri methi & cilantro: Once the dish is ready, don’t forget to add some kasuri methi which are dried fenugreek leaves and impart a wonderful aroma to the dish.

Also, a handful of cilantro is must!

Pro-tip: I haven’t done this in the recipe, but to elevate the flavors, you can do that extra-step of frying ginger julienne in ghee and adding it to the chana masala (see notes in the recipe card).

Method

1- Soak 1 cup raw white chickpeas (200 grams) overnight in 3 cups (24 oz) water. In the morning, drain the water and transfer the soaked chickpeas to a pressure cooker along with 1/2 teaspoon salt. After soaking overnight, the volume of chickpeas increased to 2.5 cups (425 grams)!

Instant Pot: Cook on high pressure for 25 minutes with natural pressure release.

Stove-top pressure cooker: cook on high heat for 2 whistles, them lower heat to medium and cook for additional 10 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.

2- Once pressure cooked, the chickpeas will break easily when pressed between your thumb and index finger.

If using canned chickpeas, you can skip these steps, use 2.5 cups canned chickpeas and directly move to cooking the chana masala in the pot.

3- Using a mortar and pestle, crush the ginger, garlic and green chili. Set it aside.

4- Heat a pot/pan over medium heat on stove-top. Once hot, add the oil and then add the whole spices- bay leaf, green cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns and cumin seeds.

Let the spices sizzle for 30 seconds and become fragrant.

5- Add the finely chopped onion and stir. Cook for 3 minutes until the onions soften. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt here so that onions cook a little faster. Meanwhile puree 2 tomatoes using a blender and set aside.

6- Add the crushed ginger-garlic and green chili. Stir and cook for a minute or two until the raw smell of the ginger-garlic goes away.

7- Add the pureed tomatoes along with 1 tablespoon of tomato paste. Stir and cook for 5 minutes on medium heat, stirring often.

8- Then add the ground spices- coriander powder, cumin powder, paprika, turmeric and garam masala.

9- Cook the spices for 30 seconds. The oil should ooze out of the sides of the masala at this point.

10- Stir in the boiled chickpeas and mix. Also add 2 cups of water and stir. I used the same water in which the chickpeas were boiled. You can add more water here if you prefer more gravy in your chana masala.

Taste test and adjust the salt at this point, I added 1/8 teaspoon more salt here.

11- Cover the pot with a lid, set heat to medium-low and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes for the flavors to mix-in.

12- Stir in crushed kasuri methi and chopped cilantro.

Garnish with more cilantro and serve Chana Masala with rice or naan! You may also squeeze some fresh lemon juice if desired.

If you’ve tried this Chana Masala Recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe! You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram to see what’s latest in my kitchen!

Cre: CookwithManali