Chana Masala is one of my favorite meals. It is rather quick and easy to make but also very filling and delicious. Simply a great dish for week days! I always serve it together with rice, pickles and, if I have time, chapati. When I cook chana masala I usually improvise and therefore I have never shared the recipe for it on this website. But not sharing the making of such a perfect and delicious dish almost feels like a crime and therefore I am now happy to present it to you. It has been developed and tested various times during a couple of weeks for the most perfect combination of ingredients. I hope you will enjoy it as much as me and my family.
Chana Masala
Ingredients:
- 2 cans of chickpeas (400 g) or the same amount home cooked
- 1 onion
- 3-5 cloves of garlic
- 2 inches fresh ginger
- 350 g fresh chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vinegar
- 2-3 dl / 0.8-1.3 cup water
- 5 tbsp vegetable oil
- a fistful of fresh chopped cilantro
Method:
- Chop the onion, ginger and garlic finely.
- Heat the oil in a large stir-fry pan or wok. Add the mustard seeds and wait for them to start popping. Then add the chopped onion and the bay leaf. Stir and sauté the onion until it is translucent and golden.
- Add the garlic, ginger and turmeric. Stir and sauté until the raw garlic and ginger aroma disappears then quickly add the rest of the spices and soon after the tomatoes. Sauté until the liquid from the tomatoes evaporates and the oil starts to leave sides of the pan. Stir frequently.
- Add the salt, vinegar and chickpeas. Let it cook for a few minutes while stirring and then add the water.
- Let it simmer under lid for about ten minutes and adjust with more salt or water until you receive desired flavor and thickness.
- Stir in some chopped fresh cilantro right before you serve and leave some for garnish. Serve together with rice. Enjoy!
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