This Would Make Your Forget Any Other Chana Masala recipe
We all love Chole Bhaturey or Chickpea Curry from the nearby street food joint. In North India, it is almost worshipped as the ‘King of all Breakfasts’! How about making this national comfort food of Chana Masala recipe at home? It is actually easier than imagined!
Here I have shared way of cooking Chana Masala in 2 ways! ‘Coz you never know what you crave for, right? So, bookmark this recipe and try it whenever you crave for some Indian restaurant-style Chana Masala
Do you wonder what’s all this gung-ho about Chole Bhature?
Well, typically this dish from Punjabi cuisine includes deep-fried Indian bread or Bhature that goes with a spiced chickpeas curry or chana masala, and is often accompanied by slices of pickled onions and mango pickle.
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Till a few months back it was all OK for us to have some takeaway Chole Bhature from nearby restaurants. We never thought twice about the oil and calories that we were taking in, but now things are wee different. Both me and S have developed a sensitive stomach. And, one thing that is completely out of our lives is street-food.
With some major tweaks to the recipe, this is my healthier take on otherwise spicy & rich version of Punjabi Chana Masala!! Healthier because it has no onion and garlic which often makes the gravy base richer.
How to make no-Onion no-Garlic Chole – Ingredients list
- Chickpeas – soaked overnight – water drained
- Spices like Peppercorns
- Tea Bag – Black Tea optional – used for colour & flavour
- Mustard Oil – alternate would be any oil, even Ghee if not vegan
- Powdered Spices like Chana Masala Powder (I use MDH or TATA Sampann), Garam Masala Powder, Cumin Powder, Coriander Powder, Turmeric Powder
- Tomato Puree or Ketchup
- Green Chilies – use as per your choice
- Ginger Paste
How to make Chana Masala at home?
This is my mother’s recipe and she has been making this for some years now. While we were kids, it was customary for her to make this dish of Chole Bhature on our birthdays. And, she would always make a big batch of it so that the leftovers would make for our breakfast, lunch and sometimes dinner the following day!
It is very important to soak the chickpeas overnight and pre-boil them before adding them to this recipe. Otherwise you would be stewing the pot full of chickpeas for hours! Simply wash the chickpeas and soak them in the usual drinking water the night before you plan to cook. Next morning, discard the water (do not skip this step), wash the chickpeas again and cook them in a pressure cooker till they soften. It should take 20 minutes or so.
There is a neat trick to get that dark brown colour for the Chana Masala. While you pressure cook the chickpeas, drop a Black Tea teabag in it. This would make your chickpeas come out dark, just like the ones you see in the videos of chole bhature recipe done in Punjabi style.
I have a separate post here on my blog on how to make instant Bhaturey without yeast or Baking Powder at home? Click here for recipe.
Related Recipes: Punjabi Daal Makhni Recipe , Amritsari Murgh Makhni
Have you tried this recipe? I would love to hear about it.
Tag me on Instagram @speakingaloud_hashdiaries or Facebook @hashdiaries and I will share it further.
We all love Chole Bhaturey or Chickpea Curry from the nearby street food joint. In North India, it is almost worshiped as the 'King of all Breakfasts'! How about making this national comfort food of Chana Masala recipe at home? It is actually easier than imagined! Here I have shared way of cooking Chana Masala in 2 ways! 'Coz you never know what you crave for, right? So, bookmark this recipe and try it whenever you crave for some Indian restaurant style Chana Masala
- 1 cup Chickpeas – soaked overnight – water drained
- 5 cups Water
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp Peppercorns
- Tea Bag – Black Tea optional – used for colour & flavour
- 4 tbsp Mustard Oil
- 2 tbsp Chana Masala Powder I use MDH!
- 1 tsp Garam Masala Powder
- 2 tbsp Tomato Puree or Ketchup
- 2 nos. Green Chilies – chopped
- 2 Tomato Paste
- 2 tbsp Ginger Paste
- 1 tsp Cumin Powder
- 2 tsp Coriander Powder
- 1 tsp Turmeric Powder
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Cook the soaked Chickpeas in a Pressure Cooker with at least 4 cups of water, Tea Bag, Peppercorns, Salt and few drops of Oil, on a high flame till it whistles for about 7-8 times. Lower the flame, and cook it further for 15 minutes. Once done, turn the heat off and let it cool on its own.
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Once the steam has escaped completely, open the lid and take out the Tea Bag. Check if the chickpeas have softened by pressing one between two fingers. It should get pressed easily.
If you see that your chickpeas are not done yet then add some more water and cook it further for 5-6 minutes on high heat.
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Heat some oil in a pan and fry tomato paste, ginger paste along with the ketchup and dry spices like Cumin Powder, Coriander Powder, Garama Masala Powder and Chana Masala Powder.
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Once the masala mix if nicely fried, add Turmeric Powder and the cooked chickpeas. Check for seasoning at this stage, add salt if needed.
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Allow it to simmer for 10-15 minutes on low heat. If you find the consistency right, then cover it with a lid while it simmers. It would prevent water to escape. Otherwise, if you need to reduce some liquid then let it boil without any lid on it.
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Before serving add some chopped coriander leaves.
Recipe Video
Chana Masala Recipe – No-Onion, No-Ginger Recipe
This Chana Masala recipe uses a tomato based gravy along with a handful of garlic. Instead of using store-bought Chana Masala powder, I have used simple Bengali Garam Masala powder only. Keeping the below recipe almost same, I substituted the ginger with garlic and went ahead. You can try this recipe as well.
Pin this easy Chana Masala recipe (Vegan + Gluten-free) for later!
This post was first shared on August 27, 2018. This has been revised with the recipe video and nutrition details.
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