Homemade Chana Masala Recipe
This incredibly delicious homemade Chana Masala is a fantastic vegan entrée that is bursting with amazing Indian spices.
Ingredients
- For the Chana Masala Powder:
- 4 black cardamom pods
- ½ broken up cinnamon stick
- 6 black pepper corns
- 4 cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 star anise
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon mango powder
- 1-2 kashmiri chiles
- For the Chana Masala:
- 3 cups dried chickpeas
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 peeled small diced yellow onions
- 12 finely minced garlic cloves
- 1 ” chunk of peeled finely grated fresh ginger
- 8 large diced Roma tomatoes
- 1 seeded and thinly sliced serrano pepper
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- juice of 1 lemon
- salt to taste
- chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Add the dried chickpeas to a container and cover with water by about 4-6 inches and soak for 12-24 hours.
- Next, drain the chickpeas after soaking and add them to a large pot with water and cook over medium-low heat for 60-75 minutes or until tender. Keep warm.
- Add the chana masala spices minus the chiles to a large frying pan and toast over low heat while constantly stirring for a total of 4-6 minutes.
- After 2 minutes of the spices toasting, add in the spicy Kashmiri peppers and toast stir in and cook for the remaining 2-4 minutes.
- Transfer the mixture to a spice grinder and grind until it becomes a powder. Set aside.
- Pour the oil into a large rondeau or saucepan over low heat and cook the onions until well browned and caramelized, which takes about 30-45 minutes.
- Next, add in the garlic and ginger and cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Pour in the tomatoes and stew them over medium heat for 10-15 minutes.
- Add in the serrano peppers, chana masala powder, turmeric, chili powder, and garam masala powder and cook for 2-3 minutes to incorporate the spices.
- Take about 2-3 cups of the hot water from the pot of chickpeas and add it to the rondeau with the tomato mixture and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
- Drain the chickpeas and add them to the tomato mixture pot and cook for about 10 minutes over medium heat. See notes.
- Finish with salt, additional chana or garam masala seasonings, and lemon juice,
- Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro.
Notes
Make-Ahead: You can make this up to 1 day ahead of time, simply reheat and garnish with fresh chopped cilantro when ready to serve.
How to Store: Cover and keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. This will freeze well covered for up to 6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating and serving.
How to Reheat: Add the desired amount to a small size pan and heat over low heat until hot. Adjust the seasonings before serving.
You can absolutely undercook the chickpeas if you prefer them to be a little crunchier or al dente, simply stop the cooking process after 40 minutes.
The reason you add in the spicy dried peppers later is that the skin can tend to burn a little quicker, so it does not need as much toasting.
If you can’t get mango powder, purchase a package of dried mangos from the dried fruit section at your grocery store and layout 2-3 pieces on a cookie sheet tray lined with parchment paper and cook for about 45-60 minutes at 250° and then grind in your spice grinder until a powder is formed.
To use canned chickpeas, you will need 4 drained cans and you can add them straight to the tomato sauce at the same time you would add in the pre-boiled dried chickpeas.
Keep the drained overnight chickpea liquid to use as aquafaba for plants or to make vegan eggs.
After draining the cooked chickpeas, feel free to keep a little more of that water in the event you want to thin the tomato mixture down more.
Feel free to add more Kashmiri peppers if you really like spice.
Nutrition
Calories: 349kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 16gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gSodium: 29mgPotassium: 916mgFiber: 16gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 675IUVitamin C: 16mgCalcium: 123mgIron: 6mg