Chana Masala (Chickpeas)

Chickpeas are one of my favorite ingredients. They are so versatile and you can do a lot with them – curry them, add to salads, to chats and they can be eaten with rice, bread, “baturas/kulchas/puri’s” (different types of fried dough) or plain without any accompaniment (my way).

I like to use individual spices including some whole spices (cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, cumin), however, you can simplify by just using ready Chana Masala Powder that you can purchase at an Indian Grocery Store. I’ll write another post on how you can make that spice mix at home at some point in case you get hooked on Chana Masala and just want a quick fix recipe.

Using canned chickpeas will save a lot of the preparation time needed to make this dish. Just remember to drain out the liquid from the can and to rinse the chickpeas.

You will find that some recipes call for tea leaves when boiling the chickpeas. Traditionally tea leaves were added to provide acidity to balance the alkalinity (so as to not affect the taste of the chickpeas) of baking soda that was added to make it cook faster. But tea leaves are often added just to add color to the chickpeas. The next 2 photographs are the result when you darken the color of the chickpeas by boiling them with tea leaves.

Ingredients

1 lb 13 oz (822 grams) can of Chickpeas.
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 black Cardamom
1-2 cloves
1 bay leaf
1 inch piece of cinnamon
1 star anise (optional if you’ve added the other spices; I like to add this spice since it’s pretty)
1 cup cup Diced Onions
1 tbsp Ginger-garlic paste
1 cup Diced/crushed/pureed Tomatoes
1 tsp Coriander Powder
1/2 tsp Kashmiri Red Chili Powder
1 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp Dry Mango Powder (Amchur)
1/4 tsp Dried Fenugreek Leaves (Kasuri Methi)

Preparation

Empty the can and drain the liquid out using a strainer. Run water through the strainer to wash away any remaining liquid from the chickpeas.

Cooking

Add the oil to a non-stick pan at medium heat and when it is hot add the cumin seeds, black cardamom and star anise.

When the cumin seeds start to sizzle, add the onions, mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes, add the ginger-garlic paste and continue cooking until the onions start to turn brown (another 5-6 minutes).

When the onions turn brown add the tomatoes, mix well and continue cooking on medium heat.

After about 5 minutes when the tomatoes seem to be cooked, add the chickpeas, coriander powder, red chili powder and mix well.

How to tell if tomatoes cooked: If you used puree/crushed tomatoes then you can see the oil  separating out. In addition with diced fresh tomatoes they start to lose their form and look mushed up as in the photograph below.

Add the dry mango powder and dried fenugreek leaves and mix well.

Mash some of the chickpeas with the end of your spatula. The mashed chickpeas make the sauce thicker and every spoonful even more scrumptious.

Add the garam masala powder and mix well.

Enjoy!