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Chana Masala
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4.58 from 26 votes

Chana Masala

Make restaurant style Chana Masala at home with this easy recipe.   
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Soaking Time8 hours
Total Time9 hours
Course: Entree
Cuisine: Indian
Servings: 4
Calories: 147kcal

Ingredients

Pressure cooking dry chickpeas

  • 1 cup dry chickpeas See notes for canned chickpeas
  • 4 cups water divided
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
  • 1 black tea bag optional

Other Ingredients

Garnish

Instructions

  • Soak white chickpeas in 2 cups of water overnight or for 8-10 hours. Drain out all the water.
  • Add chickpeas along with 2 cups of water and salt. Pressure cook for 35 minutes followed by natural pressure release. (Note: Optionally, add a tea bag to give the dish a rich smoky flavor and deep color. Discard once the chickpeas are cooked)
  • Heat ghee in a medium skillet. Add bay leaf and onions. Sauté on medium heat until the onions turn light golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Use a lid to speed up cooking while mixing in the onions frequently. Add ginger paste, garlic paste, and green chili. Mix well and cook for another minute.
  • Add tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes stirring a few times until the tomatoes are soft and mushy.
  • Mix well with chana masala spice blend, salt, turmeric, and red chili powder. Add boiled chickpeas along with the water from pressure cooking. Add one cup of water(more or less) to bring the curry to your desired consistency.
  • Simmer for 5 minutes and garnish with Kasoori methi and cilantro. Serve with steamed basmati rice or paratha.

Video

Notes

Using Canned Chickpeas
  • Skip steps 1 and 2  if using canned chickpeas. Simply add two (15 oz) cans of rinsed and drained chickpeas in step #5 
 
Chana masala spice blend
If you do not have time to make a homemade spice blend you can use store bought one or mix the spices below for an Instant chana masala spice mix:
  • 2 teaspoons Kashmiri red chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 2 tablespoons coriander powder
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
  • 1 teaspoon amchur powder
 
Adding More Veggies
  • Optionally you can add 1 medium-sized boiled, peeled, and cubed red, russet, or sweet potato along with the chickpeas
  • Add two big handfuls of chopped spinach just before adding the garnish

Nutrition

Calories: 147kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 9mg | Potassium: 391mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin C: 9.6mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 3mg
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