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.
Ingredients
- 250 gcooked chickpeas
- 1 onion
- 2 tomatoes, chopped or grated
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tspfresh ginger
- 1 tspground coriander
- 0.5 tspground turmeric
- 0.5 tspgaram masala
- 0.5 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. Season with salt to taste.
- 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.
Yes — canned chickpeas (rinsed) work perfectly and cut down cooking time significantly. The difference is minimal. From-scratch chickpeas are slightly firmer and more flavorful. If using canned, add them 5 minutes later to avoid overcooking.
Three methods: cook the tomatoes longer (7–10 minutes until all moisture evaporates and the sauce darkens), mash a few chickpeas directly in the pan with a spoon — they thicken the sauce naturally, or stir in a tablespoon of tomato paste.
Garam masala is a blend of warm spices: coriander, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves. Without it the dish will be simpler in flavor. Substitute: a pinch of cinnamon plus ground coriander and black pepper. But garam masala is exactly what makes this dish taste authentically Indian.
Both. Chana masala is one of the most democratic foods in India. Eaten for breakfast with puri (fried bread), for lunch with rice, as a street snack from roadside stalls. It originated in Punjab and became a pan-Indian staple — vegetarian, affordable, and deeply satisfying.
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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.