Let’s make the quintessential chana masala today which has become a global favorite these days thanks to its huge nutritional advantages when made at home with the right ingredients!
Chana masala, which originated in the northern part of India, is a favorite dish across the country in all age groups & cultures and rightfully so!
This flagship Indian dish has been gaining immense popularity in western cultures as well off late and I could not be happy enough!
Chana masala is such an all-rounder dish that it will serve you equally well for breakfast, lunch and dinner!
Kabuli chana is a very good source of plant-based protein and hence chana masala would prove to be a perfect dish in your weightloss journey!
What is chana masala?
If you want a simple definition of chana masala, then it is simply the curry of chickpeas cooked in Indian spices! It is an immensely flavorful dish with loads of health benefits, if paired right!
Chana masala, which is also called chhole masala, is often served in restaurants with bhature which is a much larger version of poori.
But to retain the health benefits of chana masala, you will only have to stick to the curried chickpeas and ignore the bhature as it is made of maida i.e. refined flour and deep fried in a pool of oil! 😀
Good news is that you can pair your chana masala with plain rice or wholewheat chapati (oil-free Indian flat bread) to make a wholesome meal for yourself!
Ingredients for High Protein Chana Masala
Chickpea / kabuli chana: The star of chana masala is of course the good old kabuli chana which goes without saying! In India, we use the dry uncooked chana that needs to be soaked overnight in plain room temperature water to allow them to soften.
If you are more comfortable using canned chickpeas, please feel free to use it for making this delicious chana masala and start from step 3 below.
Red onion: The gravy of chana masala is made of a generous amount of red onions which are nicely sautéed in oil until soft and golden brown to impart that smoky flavor.
Red tomato: I have used red tomatoes to make a quick homemade tomato puree for my chana masala to keep everything homemade and fresh. But you can surely use store-bought tomato puree as a quick & handy alternative.
Aromatics: For a delicious chana masala, you will need a generous amount of ginger paste and garlic paste. These aromatics add tons of flavors to the somewhat bland chickpeas.
Whole spices: The bunch of whole spices – bay leaf, green & black cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon stick, dry red chillies – are little wonders for me which take the ordinary oil and convert it to a fantastically flavored liquid that makes the chana masala so irresistible and popular!
Powdered spices: After the host of whole spices does their job, the flavorful powdered spices complete the loop by flavoring the gravy and the chickpeas. You will need the usual Indian spice powders – turmeric, cumin, coriander and Kashmiri red chilli.
Green chilli: For a subtle hint of heat, add a couple of fresh green chillies. You can adjust the amount as per your liking.
Oil: For oil, my personal recommendation would be mustard oil as it carries the flavors of all the aromatics and spices beautifully. But if it is too pungent for you, then use any other oil of your choice e.g. groundnut oil, canola oil, sunflower oil (but not olive oil).
Sugar: Just a dash of sugar will balance the acidity of the fresh tomatoes and bring out the savory flavors of all the spices. Skip sugar if you are using store-bought tomato puree.
Garam masala: The must have spice mix to give that final finishing touch to your chana masala! Use the homemade one for best results.
Salt: Season your chhole masala with the right amount of salt. Taste and adjust at the end of cooking to make it absolutely perfect!
Lemon: A squeeze of fresh lemon juice works like magic on your chana masala! Try it!
Dry mango powder/amchur: For a tangy kick, sprinkle just a touch of amchur powder; but this is optional!
Fresh coriander leaves: No Indian dish is complete without the fresh greens i.e. our very own freshly chopped coriander leaves, which is also called cilantro in USA.
How to make chana masala?
Step 1: If you are using dry chickpeas (which I always recommend to use), then soak them for a minimum of 8 hours in plain room temperature water.
Step 2: Once the chana is swelled up after absorbing the water for 8 hours, pressure cook them in salted water until tender. Drain and set aside.
Pro tip 1: You can test if the chana is cooked well by pressing a single chickpea between your 2 fingers; if it crushes easily without any resistance, your chickpea is ready. Else pressure cook them for another 5 minutes.
Pro tip 2: If you are not comfortable using a pressure cooker, then boil the soaked chana in salted water until tender or use canned chickpeas.
Step 3: Make a crisscross cut at the bottom of each tomato and then boil them in water for 10 minutes until they become soft.
Step 4: Drain the water and allow the tomatoes to become cool enough to handle. Then peel each tomato from the cuts you made, chop them in half, deseed and cut into smaller chunks.
Step 5: Puree all the tomatoes in a blender to make a smooth tomato puree. Set it aside until needed.
Step 6: Now heat a large heavy bottomed pan and add the oil. Once oil is hot, reduce the flame to low and add all the whole spices – bay leaf, black and green cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon stick and dry red chilies.
Step 7: Let the spices become fragrant for a minute. Then add the chopped onions and fry them in oil on medium-high flame for a good 4 to 5 minutes until the onions turn translucent and light golden.
Step 8: Now add the green chillies, ginger paste and garlic paste. Sauté them for 5 to 6 minutes on medium flame until the raw smell of the aromatics are gone and the onions turn golden brown and somewhat crispy.
Step 9: Now it’s time to add the homemade tomato puree. Pour in the tomato puree and add the sugar which will help balance the tartness of the tomatoes.
Step 10: Continue cooking on medium flame until all the liquid is absorbed and oil starts to release.
Step 11: While the tomato puree is getting cooked, take a small mixing bowl and add all the powdered spices to it – turmeric, cumin, coriander and Kashmiri red chili powder. Add a few teaspoons of water to the bowl and whisk them using a spoon to make a smooth spice paste.
Step 12: Now add the spice paste to the cooking pot once the tomato puree is cooked and dry. Sauté the spices on high heat for 2 to 3 minutes until the spices are nicely cooked and oil starts to resurface.
Step 13: At this stage, add the cooked chana to the cooking pan and stir them thoroughly to mix with all the spices and aromatics. Ensure all the chickpeas are evenly coated with the spice mixture.
Step 14: Continue stir frying the chana for 6 to 8 minutes on medium flame. Then add about 1 to 1 & half cups of hot water to the pan making sure that all the chickpeas remain inside the liquid.
Step 15: Add salt to taste and let the liquid come to a full boil. Then cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and let the chana masala simmer on low heat for at least 15 minutes. This will allow the chanas to soak up all wonderful flavors from the spices.
Step 16: After about 15 minutes, uncover the pan and stir the chana masala to ensure it isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Step 17: Check the consistency of the gravy; if it is too thin, boil off some excess water by leaving it on high flame for a couple of minutes. Check and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Step 18: When you arrive at your desired consistency of chana masala, sprinkle the garam masala on top, switch off the flame and cover the pot. Leave it on the stove top for 8 to 10 minutes before serving allowing all the flavors to mingle & mature.
Step 19: When you are ready to serve, transfer the chana masala to a serving bowl, garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and sprinkle a dash of dry mango powder (a.k.a. amchur) for a tangy tick!
Step 20: Serve the warm chana masala with a squeeze of lemon juice and raw onion rings on the side!
More high protein vegetarian recipes for weightloss from Flavor Quotient
- Dry chickpea / kabuli chana - 1 cup
- Red tomato - 3, large
- Red onion - 3, large, finely chopped
- Ginger paste - 1 tbsp
- Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
- Bay leaf - 1
- Green cardamom - 5 to 6
- Black cardamom - 2
- Cloves - 6 to 8
- Cinnamon stick - 1-inch piece
- Dry red chillies - 2, broken into half
- Green chilli - 2 to 3, slit lengthwise
- Oil - 4 to 5 tbsp (See details above for choice of oil)
- Sugar - 1 tsp
- Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
- Cumin powder - 2 tsp
- Coriander powder - 2 tsp
- Kashmiri red chili powder - 2 tsp
- Garam masala - ½ tsp
- Salt to taste
- Lemon – 1, cut into 4 wedges
- Dry mango powder/amchur – ½ tsp
- Fresh coriander leaves – a handful for garnish
- If you are using dry chickpeas, then soak them for a minimum of 8 hours in plain room temperature water.
- Once the chana is swelled up after absorbing the water for 8 hours, pressure cook them in salted water until tender. Drain and set aside.
- Make a crisscross cut at the bottom of each tomato and then boil them in water for 10 minutes until they become soft.
- Drain the water and allow the tomatoes to become cool enough to handle. Then peel each tomato from the cuts you made, chop them in half, deseed and cut into smaller chunks.
- Puree all the tomatoes in a blender to make a smooth tomato puree. Set it aside until needed.
- Now heat a large heavy bottomed pan and add the oil. Once oil is hot, reduce the flame to low and add all the whole spices – bay leaf, black and green cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon stick and dry red chilies.
- Let the spices become fragrant for a minute. Then add the chopped onions and fry them in oil on medium-high flame for a good 4 to 5 minutes until the onions turn translucent and light golden.
- Now add the green chillies, ginger paste and garlic paste. Sauté them for 5 to 6 minutes on medium flame until the raw smell of the aromatics are gone and the onions turn golden brown and somewhat crispy.
- Now it’s time to add the homemade tomato puree. Pour in the tomato puree and add the sugar which will help balance the tartness of the tomatoes.
- Continue cooking on medium flame until all the liquid is absorbed and oil starts to release.
- While the tomato puree is getting cooked, take a small mixing bowl and add all the powdered spices to it - turmeric, cumin, coriander and Kashmiri red chili powder. Add a few teaspoons of water to the bowl and whisk them using a spoon to make a smooth spice paste.
- Now add the spice paste to the cooking pot once the tomato puree is cooked and dry. Sauté the spices on high heat for 2 to 3 minutes until the spices are nicely cooked and oil starts to resurface.
- At this stage, add the cooked chana to the cooking pan and stir them thoroughly to mix with all the spices and aromatics. Ensure all the chickpeas are evenly coated with the spice mixture.
- Continue stir frying the chana for 6 to 8 minutes on medium flame. Then add about 1 to 1 & half cups of hot water to the pan making sure that all the chickpeas remain inside the liquid.
- Add salt to taste and let the liquid come to a full boil. Then cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and let the chana masala simmer on low heat for at least 15 minutes. This will allow the chanas to soak up all wonderful flavors from the spices.
- After about 15 minutes, uncover the pan and stir the chana masala to ensure it isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Check the consistency of the gravy; if it is too thin, boil off some excess water by leaving it on high flame for a couple of minutes. Check and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- When you arrive at your desired consistency of chana masala, sprinkle the garam masala on top, switch off the flame and cover the pot. Leave it on the stove top for 8 to 10 minutes before serving allowing all the flavors to mingle & mature.
- When you are ready to serve, transfer the chana masala to a serving bowl, garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and sprinkle a dash of dry mango powder (a.k.a. amchur) for a tangy tick!
- Serve the warm chana masala with a squeeze of lemon juice and raw onion rings on the side! Enjoy!
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