Thinking too much about this recipe and it’s merits frustrates me.
When I was young, I was vegetarian and hated curry, which to me meant all Indian food. What a waste. Of all the diets in the world, the Indian culture contains some of the most varied vegetarian recipes. Hinduism encourages a vegetarian lifestyle, and though it is left up to the individual, many Hindu’s are vegetarian. Today, throughout India and it’s many regional cuisines vegetarian dishes are frequent and varied.
I remember eating many fettucine alfredos in my vegetarian days. Restaurant menus were always short on options and despite being a pasta addict, I was never enthusiastic about the gluey looking pastas I chowed down on. Aromatics and spices like ginger, garlic, onions, cumin, coriander, turmeric and cardamom in Indian cooking make every dish taste unique. Mint, cilantro and fresh chilies fleck the dishes with hints of green. So different than those bland, plate-shaped fettucine dishes.
Now that I have embraced curry and other Indian flavours I am attempting to make some classic recipes, of which this Chana Masala, or Channa Masala, is one. Chana, Hindi for chickpea, masala simply translates to chickpeas with a spicy mixture. While researching this recipe I found the common ingredients to be chickpeas and tomatoes with generous amounts of garlic, ginger, onions, and garam masala.
So I urge you, if you are a vegetarian out there who is hesitant about curries, give this Chana Masala or chickpea curry recipe a try. Make it a feel meal and serve it with some sweet and sour okra. Just don’t use your spouse’s coffee grinder to make garam masala — they hate that.
Chana Masala
(serves 4)
Adapted from RecipezaarIn a heavy pot with a lid heat oil to medium and add onions & garlic. Cook, stirring regularly for 5 minutes or so. You want the garlic and onions to actually start to brown.
Turn heat to medium low and add ground cumin, turmeric, cumin seeds, curry powder, coriander, paprika and salt. The spices should become fragrant when they hit the heat. Just don’t stand too close or you risk a sneeze. Stir for 60 seconds, then add the tomato and cook for another 3 minutes stirring regularly. Add chickpeas and water and stir to combine. Cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes. It should be at a gentle simmer.
Add chili and ginger, stir for another 30 seconds and serve.
This recipe keeps well in the fridge and is a great filling for a wrap the next day. Try adding fresh spinach, cilantro and a bit of yougourt to a wrap along with a scoop of Channa Masala.
{ 54 comments… read them below or add one }
If you are a vegetarian India is a place to be, no were in the world you can such variety of vegetarian dishes.
You missed a lot i think in your vegetarina time as you didn’t like curry.
CHickpea is one legume we all love here at home and i make it often. When my daughter was little she used to call chockpea Indian balls
This chickpea dish looks absloutley delicous. Love the picture too.
I can’t even begin to tell you how happy I am that you posted this!! I am absolutely nuts about this dish and never thought about making it myself. Now I can!
Where is the print symbol….no one wants to print all your chatter.
Happy Cook – I know! I just love chickpeas though, and always have. I am also working on a Baighan Bhartha recipe, but haven’t been successful yet.
Blueviolet – I was surprised how easy it was to make too!
m. arthur – I am currently working on a print function, but don’t have one yet. Don’t forget there is a person behind all that chatter, with feelings. Copy and pasting into a text editor isn’t that much work.
I didn’t like curries when I was growing up, either, and it took me a while to try them again as an adult. What was I thinking? Now I LOVE all Indian food. Chana masala is one of my favorite things to order, and it’s about time that I make some myself.
Oh, and I like reading your chatter, and I’m willing to spend 2 seconds copying and pasting a recipe if I want to print it. Just my 2 cents…
What is garam masala?
Also, do I need it for this recipe?
Thanks
Melanie – Garam Masala is also known as curry powder. It is a blend of spices that varies household to household and by region in India. Yes, you will want it for this recipe. You can make it yourself or purchase it at the grocery store. I admit I am lucky and have a family friends who brings us his family’s homemade blend back from Indian (deathly hot though) every year.
Ok! I’ll check out my grocery store today which has a lot of stuff. When should I add it to the recipe?
Melanie – just follow the recipe and where it says “curry powder” use garam masala. You want to add it with the rest of the spices like cumin and turmeric etc. Good luck!
I can’t tell you how much I adore the variation in Indian vegetarian dishes
Curry is one of my favorite foods in the world. I don’t think I’ve met a curry yet that I didn’t love. There’s just something so comforting about it to me.
I’ve only had chana masala once, but I was surprised by how much I liked it considering there was no meat in it. Will hopefully try this recipe soon. Thanks!
Melanie – if you can’t find it in your local grocery, you can also buy it online. Amazon.com, just as an example, has numerous options. I’m sure other retailers do too. You can also google ‘garam masala recipe’ to find some options for making your own. It’s all regional, no standard version, but I think all the components are pretty standard fare that you could probably find at the spice aisle of any large chain grocery.
I see that a print option has already been added, but still, that was just rude, m. arthur. ‘Chatter’ is what makes a blog personal and, imo, worth reading.
What a coincidence! I recently had a photoshoot with this dish and I had no idea what it was called or what the recipe was and then I see your entry on foodgawker! Thanks so much for the recipe. It’s a wonderfully tasty dish!
I used to be so scared of using spices; it seemed like such a mystery trying to figure out what goes with what. But you’re so right; vegetarian cooking is really great for becoming more adventurous in the kitchen.
This looks fantastic; I’ll certainly be trying it!
Nhiro – I know how you feel. I think chickpeas have a meatyness to them. A substance which makes them such a good substitution protein.
joshua – thats a great tip and thanks for the support! My timing for working on my print function was pretty funny.
Simone – A photoshoot! How intriguing.
Monika – you are right it isn’t just Indian cooking but vegetarian cooking which can make one more adventurous.
This is making me Hungry!! and i just ate…lol
I made this last week, it was so good! I wrapped the leftovers in Lebanese bread for lunch the next day. Yum, thanks for the great recipe!
heather – So glad you enjoyed it, I loved it as leftovers, Lebanese bread sounds good.
Thank you. I like this recipe. Your channa masala recipe is delicious. I will try it on Holiday.
What a great recipe…I can’t wait to try it! My husband loves chick peas. We haven’t tried Indian food yet due to misconceptions and/or lack of knowledge…so exciting to delve into food areas. Thanks for sharing!!
Katerina,
I am so glad you have finally hit upon Indian recipes and its varied vegetarian recipes that work for you. It is indeed a treasure trove for anybody wanting variety in their vegetarian food.
I just want to point out one small misinformation regarding Hindus and vegetarianism. Majority of Hindus are not vegetarians and vegetarianism is not a prerequisite for being a Hindu. In literature there is instances of meat being offered to Hindu Gods and it is only recently that the Gods have all been made vegetarian.
But it is true though that most Indians would not eat meat every single day. It is more like a once a week kind of affair.
Denise – I LOVE chickpeas too, let me know if you try it!
indosungod – sorry if you got that impression. I said “encourages”, so “many” Hindus are vegetarian. But thanks for the clarification!
I noticed you forgot to mention the coriander in the recipe (but I will assume it goes in with the other spices
)
kaylee – you are right! It goes in with the rest of the spices, I will update it.
Just made this–delicious! I did things slightly out of order than this recipe, per my usual Indian cooking routine, and it turned out fine. I heated the cumin seeds (and added mustard seeds) first until they popped, then the onions and garlic until browned. Minor change, still tasty.
Thanks, Katerina!
WOW! Great recipe and a great introduction to Indian food. Thanks again for another keeper…
That was simple and fantastic!!!…Just had it…wow…i always lookout for recipes that can be made quickly…a bachelor staying away from home always wants to spend less time in kitchen
I like it to be on a bit more spicy side so made some minor changes…added bay leaf, whole black pepper, clove and Cardamom before adding onions & garlic….and of course coriander for garnishing…served with chapti…
Erika – Thanks!
Rebells – so glad you enjoyed it! Great to know how to make it more spicy, I admit I have some extremely potent curry powder myself.
Tried this recipe for a potluck and everyone enjoyed it! Thanks, definitely a keeper!
This looks gorgeous. I cook for some vegetarians and want to round this out. I think it will be nice with some brown rice? Plus, some fresh cilantro…?
M. Arthur, that comment was outrageously rude. Someone has taken the time to create a site, share recipes, tips and photos, yours for the reading and using. And you toss a nasty comment in because you didn’t think to copy into a document? Goodness.
sowns – I love hearing success stories, thanks!
Christa – Brown rice, fresh cilantro. Maybe some fresh naan bread?
(Thanks for coming to my defense)
Just made this recipe, thanks for posting it. Nice and easy. Looking forward to experimenting a bit with the spices. Here’s a picture of it in the bowl, ready to be eaten!
http://twitpic.com/4dm6rl
Hi! I’m Indian and yet I have never tried the Chana masala… Have always cooked most “Sabzis” or gravy on the basis of trial and error…. Have a whole packet of garbanzo waiting to be cooked. This seems super interesting. Although I have a question… Is this as hot as the original Indian recipe or have you altered spice levels?
Corey – that looks great!
Divya – I am not sure I know what the correct levels are for the true Indian recipe as I have only ever eaten it at North American restaurants. I did not tone it down from that level.
in this recipe it doesnt say we need garam masala , but in the comments below u said we do i want to make this but i can’t find garam masala anywhere ;(
Kelly – sorry, garam masala and curry powder are frequently labelled the same in the grocery store. I will update the recipe to be more clear. can you find curry powder?
You can also google recipes for garam masala, there are thousands. Typically they include cumin, coriander, turmeric etc.
A great vegetarian standby for when the cupboard is bare. Tasted great–thank you!
I didn’t see tomatoes or tomato paste in your list of ingredients, yet you mention adding it in the directions…how much should I add??
veg-girl -> It actually says one tomato in the list of ingredients, I think you just missed it!
I just made this and it was very wet and soupy. It was also very fragrant but didn’t have much of taste. Yours looks lovely though!
@Megan, I am sorry to hear that! Maybe try simmering without the lid for a few minutes if it is too wet? Maybe your tomato was much bigger than mine. I used a roma tomato
I just made this recipe. It is wonderful. Thank you for sharing your recipes and your thoughts about cooking. It is not chatter. It is a window into the reasons why you love to cook! Have a wonderful day. Ellen
@Ellen, so glad you enjoyed it. It is a window into why I love to cook.
This is a good recipe but I always find it helps if you had 2 tins of chickpeas, also mash one of them.
interesting idea, thanks Chris!
Thanks for posting. I made this last weekend and added some frozen chopped spinach. It was quite tasty. I liked your idea of making the leftovers into a wrap – and so did my son. I had to find this again to save it off so I can make it often. I will try more of your recipes as well.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS! I have always loved curries and most Indian food. So as I was making the base/sauce for my palak paneer I noticed that the spinach I had asked my brother to wash was bad. I freaked out and googled all the ingredients I had already used to see if I could rectify the dinner. Well my palak paneer recipe is simular to this and so I added a can of chickpeas and saved the dish!
The next day, I smashed the leftovers and used it as a sort of humus in a naan veggie wrap for lunch. I split it with a co worker and she was in love with it.
I just found my go to INSPIRATION recipe blog.
Thank you.
Awesome, thanks for the feedback! I love this dish too, and it is in some ways even better the next day.
Hi, I’ve made this recipe many, many times. We love to serve it with BBQ chicken and rice. My recipe varies very slightly; I use a 19oz can chickpeas, 1/2 cup chicken bouillion, 2 tbsp ketchup, 1 tbsp hot sauce (we like it spicy) instead of a chopped tomato, 1/2 cup water and 1/2 fresh minced green chili. Thank you for the lovely recipes.
I like mine spicy too
Do you make it ahead? I find chickpeas pick up the flavour best if you make this a bit ahead.
This is such a delicious dish – perfect for my (mostly) vegetarian wife who absolutely adores a good curry dish. I must confess, however, that I had no tomatoes in the house when I made this. Therefore, I made a substitution: 1/2 cup of very mild salsa. WOW what a difference. When I tasted the dish it still tasted of a very mild Indian curry that I am used to and the flavor was tremendous. I LOVED how the spices bloomed in the heat – like freshly cut flowers or Indian potpourri. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Salsa, neat idea!