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Chana masala recipe

Popular Indian curry, chickpeas cooked in onion tomato based gravy
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Soaking time7 hours
Total Time7 hours 50 minutes
Course: Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: North indian recipe, side dish for roti
Servings: 5
Author: Jeyashri suresh

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Kabuli chana | chickpeas
  • 1 big onion + 1 small sized onion
  • 3 to matoes
  • 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 tsp red chili powder
  • 1 green chili
  • ½ tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp garam masala | chole masala
  • 1 tsp kaoori methi
  • Water for the gravy
  • Salt as needed
  • 2 tsp ghee

Instructions

  • 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.

Notes

  1. You can add a tea bag to the chana before cooking, this gives a nice color to the masala.
  2.  Left-over chana masala can be used for making Bread chana too.