Chana masala
Punjabi chickpea curry in a tangy tomato gravy
A North Indian staple that comes together from the store cupboard. Toasted cumin, slow-softened onion and a good spoonful of garam masala give tinned chickpeas real depth. Serve with rice, naan or a stack of warm rotis.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add 1 tsp cumin seeds and let them sizzle for 30 seconds until fragrant.
1 minStep 2: Add 1 onion and cook, stirring often, until deep golden. Take your time here: this is where most of the flavour comes from.
10 minStep 3: Stir in 4 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp fresh ginger and 1 green chilli and cook for a minute, then add 2 tsp ground coriander, ½ tsp ground turmeric and 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring so the spices don't catch.
2 minStep 4: Tip in 14 oz chopped tomatoes and cook until thick and the oil starts to separate at the edges.
6 minStep 5: Add 1 ¾ lb chickpeas, 1 cup water and 1 tsp salt. Simmer, lightly crushing a few chickpeas against the side of the pan to thicken the gravy.
12 minStep 6: Stir in 1 ½ tsp garam masala and 1 tbsp lemon juice, taste for salt and scatter over 1 handful fresh coriander to serve.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 320 kcal
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbs
- 41 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 11 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
Badal Patel
Good to know
- How long does chana masala take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of cumin seeds?
- Ground cumin, three quarters of the amount (add it with the other ground spices, not to hot oil first).
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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