Chana masala is a staple in my kitchen for quick weeknight meals as well as a go-to dish when entertaining. This perfectly spiced, tangy, aromatic restaurant-style chickpea curry makes for a healthy, protein-packed dinner.
Homemade Chana Masala Spice Blend
This dish can quickly be made if you have the spices roasted and blended in advance (or you can use ready-made chana masala spice which is readily available). I recently made a batch of this spice blend to speed up my weeknight cooking.
After researching quite a few recipes and several trials, I now have the perfect recipe that I am thrilled to share with you! This blend uses Kashmiri red chilies that give the dish a deep orange color and just the right amount of heat and dried mango powder to enhance the tangy tomato flavor.
The spice blend uses a few basic spices and can be made ahead in a big batch or can also be made while you are sautéing onions for this chana masala recipe.
Ingredients For Chana Masala
- Chickpeas
- Yellow Onion
- Tomatoes
- Ginger and Garlic
- Chana Masala Spice Blend
Here is the Chana Masala recipe using a homemade chana masala spice blend that can be made in a jiffy.
More Weeknight Dinner Ideas
More Indian Chickpea Recipes
- Instant Pot Chana Saag
- Curried Spinach and Chickpeas
- Instant Pot Chickpea Biryani
- Instant Pot Easy Chana Masala
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Recipe
Chana Masala
Ingredients
- 1 cup chickpeas dry
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 2 tomatoes chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- ½ inch ginger grated
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 1 tablespoon chana masala spice blend
- 1 black tea bag optional
- 1 potato boiled, peeled and cubed (optional)
- Salt to taste
- Cilantro for garnish optional
Instructions
- Soak white chickpeas in water overnight or 8-10 hours and pressure cook them until soft. I sometimes pressure cook them with a teabag to give the dish a rich smoky flavor and deep color. Teabag can be discarded once the chickpeas are cooked. You can also use rinsed and drained canned chickpeas.
- Heat ghee in a medium skillet. Add chopped onions and sauté on medium-high heat until it turns golden brown. Add ginger and garlic. Mix well and cook for another minute.
- Add tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes stirring few times until the tomatoes are soft and mushy.
- Add chana masala spice blend and mix well. Add boiled chickpeas and salt to taste. Add ¼th cup of water(more or less) to bring the curry to your desired consistency. Occasionally I also add cubed boiled potato to this dish. You can add more spice blend if you are looking for spicier chana masala, especially if you decide to add the potato. Simmer for 5 minutes and garnish with cilantro.
- Serve with steamed basmati rice or paratha!
Nutrition
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Freda @ Aromatic essence says
So delicious !
Archana says
Thank you!
Love Served Daily says
Yummy
Archana says
Thank you!
Vasantha Vivek says
Mouth watering ..... Yummy ..... !!!
Archana says
Thank you Vasantha!
Vasantha Vivek says
<3 <3 <3
eat2healthblog says
This looks and sounds phenomenal and we can see why it's your go-to entertaining dish! We'll have to try it out using your spice blend. 🙂
Archana says
Thank you for your kind words!
Linda says
Hi Archana, can you give Instant Pot directions for this (similar to the butter chicken recipe which is amazing!) please?
Archana says
Thank Linda, I will post it soon. Trying to catch up with many IP recipes. Glad that you enjoyed the butter chicken.
Linda says
I've made the palak paneer now too 🙂 both delicious. How long do you pressure cook your chickpeas for after soaking? Do you add baking soda or salt to it (or just water?) Thanks for making the time to answer
Archana says
Hi Linda, So glad you are enjoying my IP recipes. I recently posted aloo gobhi and dum aloo too. In this recipeI pressure cooked soaked chickpeas for about 20 mins in a traditional pressure cooker. If you are making this recipe in IP, I would saute all the onions, tomatoes spices etc and then cook on Manual(Hi) for 20-25 mins with NPR.
Archana says
Also I never add baking soda, just salt.
Din says
So I'm a little too lazy to make the chana masala spice blend - plus the last time i ground spices i had a very long coughing spell. Any chance I could use garam masala instead or unground spices listed in your chana masala spice blend? I believe I have most of them. Also, if i were to make this in the instant pot, do I have to pressure cook the chickpeas first or can I cook them according to your instructions above (in one of your comments) after soaking them overnight? Sorry for all the questions and thank you!
Archana says
Absolutely. Garam masala will work well. You will need 1 teaspoon red chili powder and 1 teaspoon coriander powder in addition to garam masala Add some lemon juice with garnish for the tangy flavor. You can cook soaked chickpeas just increase the cook time. Can't wait to hear how you like it!
Din says
Thanks! I also have tamarind. Should I use it instead of the lemon juice?
Archana says
Yes! stir in some tamarind in the end for tanginess.
Natarajan Iyer says
I am a great fan of your recipes and was wondering if you can incorporate the IP method.
Archana says
Will do!
Ruchita says
This is a crowd pleaser! Love this.
Rich says
I don't have a pressure cooker or Instant Pot. Is it OK to just simmer the chickpeas for an hour or so after soaking them?
Archana says
Yes! Make sure to cover the pot when simmering for soft-cooked chickpeas.
Shalini says
Came out very tasty and it is quite easy to prepare. I did use pre cooked store brought chickpeas. Thanks Archana for this recipe.
Archana says
Love the idea of using canned chickpeas for a quick and hearty meal.