Channa Masala: Classic Indian Dish

Serves: 6-8 | Prep Time: 15 Minutes | Cooking Time: 25 Minutes

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Ingredients

• 4 cups of cooked chickpeas, strained (2 cans of 15 oz.)
• 2 tbs. High heat oil
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 black cardamom (optional)
• 2 green cardamom
• 3 cloves
• 1 red onion finely chopped
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 8-10 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp mango or amchur powder
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 3 cups tomatoes (I used whole canned tomatoes here. If using fresh tomatoes, finely chop tomatoes).
• 1 cup of water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup dried fenugreek leaves 

Directions

1. Heat oil and when hot, add cumin seeds and other spices. When the seeds start popping, add onions. Stir and add salt so they cook faster.
2. Add the ginger and garlic. Cook for about a minute.
3. Add the spice powders and tomatoes and half of the water. Cover and let the tomatoes cook until they dissolve, this takes about 5 minutes.
4. Add the chickpeas and add the rest of the water and salt. Cook for another 5 minutes until it’s piping hot.
5. Turn off heat and add the dried fenugreek leaves.

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I’ve been cooking channa masala for the past 20 years. Overtime, I have simplified the recipe to incorporate what I have learned from Indian cookbooks, food bloggers, and feedback from my husband. I hope you enjoy this simplified and flavorful channa masala. I cook a whole pot and freeze. It’s time-saving.

Chickpeas or Channa

If you want to start cooking more beans and lentils, invest in a pressure cooker like Instant Pot. It saves time and money so you can stock up on dried beans. Canned is fine, but nothing beats cooking your own beans. You can adjust the salt content or add flavor. 

You can freeze cooked chickpeas. Simply remove the aquafaba or the liquid that the chickpeas were boiled in. 

Channa Masala Spices

The spices I use in this recipe are the ones I use almost all the time I cook Indian-flavored food. These are also the spices that I use if a recipe calls for veg stock. Keep coriander, mango (amchur), and turmeric powder at home. They will save you tons of money and will make your cooking extra flavorful. 

Canned vs Fresh Tomatoes

Using canned tomatoes added more flavor to this recipe. I am of mind that the fresher ingredients is always the better choice. When it comes to eating fresh and the least processed food, for sure. But I find that for cooking, canned tomatoes bring out the spice flavors more. Just make sure you're using good quality canned tomatoes. Wholefoods 365 is a great choice and also San Merican tomatoes. If you're using fresh tomatoes, I find that adding a bit of tomato paste will give it that tangier flavor.

Note that in this recipe, I used whole tomatoes but you can used diced tomatoes. Avoid crushed tomatoes.