India · Vegetable and Mushroom Dishes · Vegetarian
Chana Masala
A Punjabi street food staple that became an all-India classic — chickpeas simmered in a thick spiced tomato-onion sauce with cumin, coriander, garam masala, and a squeeze of lime. Vegetarian, cheap, deeply satisfying. Eaten for breakfast with puri, for lunch with rice, and as a street snack.
35 min 290 kcal 2 serves Medium🌿Vegetarian🇮🇳India★★★★★5.0· 5 reviews
Ingredients
ServingsMetric
- 250 gcooked chickpeas
- 1 onion
- 2 tomatoes, chopped or grated
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tspfresh ginger
- 1 tspground coriander
- ½ tspground turmeric
- ½ tspgaram masala
- ½ tspchili to taste
- 1 tspcumin seeds or mustard seeds
- 2 tbspvegetable oil
- salt to taste
- juice of half a lime or lemon
- fresh cilantro for serving
Method
- Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin or mustard seeds and fry until they pop.
- Add onion and fry until golden. Add garlic, ginger, and spices — cook 1–2 minutes.
- Add tomatoes and cook down to a thick sauce, 5–7 minutes.
- Add chickpeas, stir well, braise 10–12 minutes.
- Add lime juice and cilantro. Serve hot with rice, flatbreads, or as a standalone dish.
FAQ
Chana masala is a classic North Indian dish of chickpeas in a thick spiced tomato-onion sauce. 'Chana' means chickpea, 'masala' means spice blend. The chickpeas braise in the sauce and absorb all the aromas — completely different from plain boiled chickpeas.
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Comments (2)
Если ваша масала на вкус как томатная каша с горохом — вы не обжарили специи. Кумин, кориандр, гарам масала сначала прогреваются в масле до аромата, и только потом добавляется всё остальное. Этот шаг занимает 30 секунд, но без него блюдо мертво.
Cut the cooked chickpeas slightly larger than your instinct suggests for chana masala. Vegetables shrink substantially during cooking. What looks oversized raw will be perfectly portioned on the plate.