Chana Masala Recipe
Chana Masala is a popular vegetarian Indian curry made with chickpeas (chana). Learn how to make Delhi style chole masala without oil.
Servings: 2
Calories: 214kcal
Equipment
- Heavy Bottom Kadhai
Ingredients
Ingredients For Boiling:
- 1 Cup white chana/chole (chickpeas)
- Salt to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 green cardamoms (elaichi)
- 2 cloves (laung)
- 1 Cup chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 4 Cup water
Spices For Chana Masala:
- ¼ teaspoon asafoetida
- 1 teaspoon anardana powder (pomegranate seeds powder)
- 1 teaspoon fennel powder (saunf)
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder (dhaniya)
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala see recipe here
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder (jeera powder
Other Ingredients For Chana Masala
- ¼ Cup kasuri methi
- 1 green chili, sliced
- an inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut into thin strips
- Juice of half a lemon
- ¼ Cup chopped fresh coriander leaves
Instructions
How To Boil Chana (Chickpeas)
- Clean, wash, and soak chana overnight in water or for 5 - 6 hours. Next day drain water, transfer chana in a colander.
- Add soaked chickpeas in a pressure cooker with 4 cups of water, whole spices, onion, ginger paste, and salt.
- Close the lid of the pressure cooker and cook chickpeas until soft. For me, it takes 3 -4 whistles over a low flame. In IP, it takes 15 minutes in a pressure cook mode.
- Allow the steam to release naturally from the pressure cooker. Open the lid, discard the whole spices
- Transfer chickpeas into a large bowl. Reserve water in which chickpeas were cooked.
How To Cook Chana Masala
- Heat heavy-bottomed pan over low flame. Add asafoetida, anardana powder, coriander powder, and fennel powder. Dry roast the spices for 10 - 20 seconds to release the aroma.
- Add boiled chickpeas, cumin powder, red chilli powder, garam masala, salt, and reserved boiled chickpea water. Stir to combine. Gently mash the chana using the back of a spoon or ladle to thicken the gravy.
- Cover the pan with a lid. Let chana masala simmer over low heat for the next 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, add ginger, green chili, kasuri methi, coriander, and lemon juice. Stir to mix nicely. Cook for 5 minutes and turn off the heat.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Video
Notes
- You can use canned chickpeas as well to make chana masala.
- Adding onion is optional in this chole recipe.
- Use dry mango powder if anardana powder is not available. But the color of the chana masala will not be the same.
- You can add a teaspoon of chana masala powder as well for aroma and taste.
- Allow the boiled chana to simmer in the spices for some time to absorb the juices of the masala.
Nutrition
Calories: 214kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 129mg | Potassium: 415mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 431IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 109mg | Iron: 5mg