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Chana Masala | Chickpea Curry

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Prep: 10 min

Cook: 55 min

Chana masala is a classic North Indian curry made with chickpeas cooked in a spicy, rich, and slightly tangy gravy. This version uses canned chickpeas and readily available ingredients so it can be whipped up easily when you feel the urge for something spicy!

Ingredients

4 tbsp

oil

1 tsp

cumin seeds

2 large

onions, finely chopped

4 cloves

garlic, minced

1 inch piece

ginger, minced

1-2

green chillies, finely chopped

2 tsp

ground coriander

2 tsp

ground cumin

1 tsp

chilli powder, (or to taste)

1/2 tsp

ground turmeric

tomato, pureed

1 tsp

salt, (or to taste)

2 tbsp

tamarind chutney

2 x 400 g

canned chickpeas, (2 x 14oz), drained

350 ml

water, (1 1/2 cups)

1 tsp

garam masala

1/2

lemon

1 tbsp

coriander, (cilantro), finely chopped

Method

1. Heat oil in a pan over a medium low heat, and add the cumin seeds. Once they begin to sizzle reduce the heat to low, add the onions, mix well and cover with a lid.
2. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until the onions just start to colour. Stir frequently to ensure they don't stick to the bottom of the pan.
3. Add the ginger and garlic, put the lid back on and cook for another 10-15 minutes, or until the onions are golden brown. Stir a few times in between to ensure the onions don't burn.
4. Add the chillies, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground turmeric, chilli powder and cook for 30 seconds. Add 3 tbsp of water and cook until the water evaporates. Add another 3 tbsp of water and cook again until the water evaporates.
5. Add the pureed tomatoes and cook for 5-6 minutes or until the oil starts to separate from the tomatoes.
6. Next add the salt, tamarind, chickpeas and water, cover with a lid and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the chickpeas are soft to touch and the sauce has thickened to your desired consistency. If the sauce becomes too dry before the chickpeas are soft, add a bit more water and continue to cook.
7. Stir in the garam masala and lemon juice, remove from the heat, garnish with coriander, and serve with bhatura, naan or rice.

Notes

Cooking the onions – in this recipe I cook the onions low and slow for about 15-20 minutes, it helps to develop a depth of flavour and adds to the dark colour of the gravy. If you want to speed things up, cook the onions until translucent and continue with the rest of the steps.

Tamarind chutney – any good store-bought chutney will do (most large supermarkets offer it nowadays). It adds a lovely sweet and sour note to the dish, but it you can’t find it then just add 1 tsp of sugar (brown preferably) to balance out the lemon juice.

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