Soak the chana in water for 7 hours or overnight.
Wash well and change the water and little salt. Pressure cook for 5-6 whistles.
Keep this aside.
In a pan add oil and add slit green chili.
Finely chop 1 big sized onion and add this to the pan.
Add little salt and saute this till the onion turns pink.
Now add the ginger garlic paste.
Saute this till the raw smell goes off.
Puree the tomato and add this to the pan.
Now add the red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, salt and garam masala.
Mix well and add ½ cup of water. You can use the cooked chana water also.
Let this cook for 3-4 minutes till the raw smell of the powders are gone and the masala oozes out oil on the sides.
At this stage, add the cooked chana, reserve the water. Add only the boiled chana.
Mix well and add the reserved water according to the consistency.
If you do not have much of reserved water, you can use normal water too.
Let this boil for 5 minutes.
Now add in the kasoori methi and chopped coriander leaves.
Mix well.
If the consistency is bit watery, gently mash the chana here and there.
Alternatively you can take out one ladle full of cooked chana and grind this into a fine paste and add this to the gravy.
This will give nice thickness to the gravy.
Switch off the flame.
The next step is optional, do this just before serving the chana masala.
In another pan add ghee and roughly chop one small sized onion.
Drizzle little salt.
Saute this till golden.
Add this to the chana masala. This step is optional but highly recommended.
Chana masala is ready. Serve with hot pooris or phulkas or with jeera rice, Vegetable biryani or pulav.