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Chana masala

Punjabi-style chana masala: canned chickpeas simmered in a spiced onion, tomato and ginger sauce, in under an hour. Vegan, with 11 g of protein and 10 g of fiber a serving.

285
kcal
11g
protein
11g
fat
39g
carbs
Prep
15 min
Cook
35 min
Serves
4

Photograph by marekonline on Pixabay

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp neutral oil, or ghee if it does not need to be vegan
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely grated
  • 1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
  • 1 serrano or green chile, finely chopped
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder, or 1 tsp sweet paprika and a pinch of cayenne
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, blended smooth
  • 2 cans (15 oz each) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 1/2 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp amchur (dried mango powder), or 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • Chopped cilantro, to serve

Method

  1. 1

    Bloom the cumin

    Heat the oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat and add the cumin seeds. When they sizzle and darken a shade, after about 30 seconds, add the onion.

  2. 2

    Brown the onion

    Cook the onion 10 to 12 minutes, stirring often, until deep golden. This is where most of the flavor comes from, so do not hurry it.

  3. 3

    Add the aromatics and spices

    Add the garlic, ginger and chile and cook 1 minute. Add the coriander, ground cumin, turmeric and chili powder and stir for 30 seconds.

  4. 4

    Cook the tomatoes down

    Add the blended tomatoes and the salt and cook 6 to 8 minutes, stirring, until the sauce thickens and the oil starts to separate at the edges.

  5. 5

    Simmer the chickpeas

    Add the chickpeas and water and simmer 15 minutes. Mash a ladleful of the chickpeas against the side of the pan to thicken the sauce.

  6. 6

    Finish

    Stir in the garam masala and amchur and cook 2 minutes more. Taste for salt and serve with cilantro, with rice or flatbread.

What chana masala is

Chana means chickpeas, and masala means a mix of spices. Chana masala, also called chole, is a Punjabi dish from northern India and Pakistan, and one of the best-known Indian dishes outside India. It is chickpeas simmered in a thick, tangy sauce of onion, tomato, ginger and spices. In Punjab it is often eaten for breakfast with bhatura, a puffed fried bread. In the US it is mostly a dinner with rice or naan. For the same spices with red lentils, the coconut variation of our red lentil soup is close to a dal.

Take your time with the onion

The onion needs a full 10 to 12 minutes, until it is deep golden. Golden onion gives the sauce its sweetness, its color and most of its depth. If it is only soft, the curry tastes raw and sharp. Chop the onion finely, so it melts into the sauce, and stir often near the end so it does not burn.

The same goes for the tomatoes: cook them until the sauce thickens and the oil starts to separate around the edges. That is how Indian cooks tell that the masala is ready, and it means the raw taste of the spices and tomato has cooked off.

The spices

  • Kashmiri chili powder gives a bright red color with mild heat. If you cannot find it, use sweet paprika with a pinch of cayenne. Regular chili powder sold in the US is a different spice blend for chili, so do not use it here.
  • Amchur, dried green mango powder, gives chana masala its typical sour taste. Lemon juice is a good substitute.
  • Garam masala goes in at the end, because its aroma fades with long cooking.

Most of these are sold at Indian grocers, and often in the international aisle of larger supermarkets. Store-bought chana masala spice mixes also work: use 2 to 3 teaspoons in place of the ground spices.

With dried chickpeas

Dried chickpeas have a firmer, nuttier texture than canned; our falafel cannot be made without them. You need about 1 1/4 cups dried for this recipe. Soak them overnight and simmer them 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until tender. In a pressure cooker or Instant Pot, soaked chickpeas take about 15 minutes at high pressure, and unsoaked ones about 40 to 45. Punjabi cooks often add a black tea bag to the cooking water: it gives the chickpeas the dark brown color of restaurant chole without changing the taste.

Keeping it

It keeps 4 days in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer, and, like most curries, tastes even better the next day. Add a splash of water when you reheat it, because the chickpeas keep absorbing the sauce.

What it is worth nutritionally

A serving, without rice or bread, has about 285 kcal, with 11 g of protein, 11 g of fat and 39 g of carbohydrate, including about 10 g of fiber, more than a third of the recommended daily amount. A cup of cooked basmati rice adds about 200 kcal. Rice and chickpeas complement each other: the amino acids chickpeas are low in, rice supplies, so the classic pairing is a complete protein. Chickpeas are a good source of folate, iron and manganese, and the vitamin C in the tomatoes helps the body absorb the iron; see our guide to iron-rich foods. Made with oil, the dish is vegan, and it is gluten-free.

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