Chana Masala is a classic vegetarian curry that's as filling as it is delicious. Serve as a main or as part of a bigger Indian feast! Get the recipe below.
Chickpea curry
Whether they are being blitzed to make velvety hummus, mashed to make vegan egg salad or stewed in a rich sauce, chickpeas are a staple of any vegetarian diet. So it's probably no surprise then that they feature in a wide range of different Indian dishes like this. Chana Masala is one of the most common vegetarian curries made up of tender chickpeas in a spicy, tomato sauce.
Now I won't pretend to know the ins and outs of every variation of Chana Masala originating from as far as Indian or as close as the Indian takeaway just round the corner from my house. There are tonnes of recipes floating around on the internet - some made with coconut, others with added potatoes. Mine is a riff off of the Chana Masala served at one of my favourite Indian restaurants. Along with Saag Paneer and Tharka Daal, the Chana Masala is part of their signature thali.
Whether you decide to make this dish part of a bigger feast, or to serve it as a main course with rice and naan, this chickpea curry won't disappoint.
Added extras
Chana Masala is a staple in so many Indian restaurants and takeaways. It can be tricky to differentiate one recipe from another, but I've got two tweaks that make my recipe stand out from the rest.
The first is that once I've softened my onions and heated my spices, I blitz them together with a little water until I have a smooth mix. Onions are super important in curries. They are great at adding texture but they are also key to the flavour. That's why half of the onion is blended down so that it incorporates seamlessly into the tomato sauce.
The second is that I add green beans. Now I love chickpeas as much as the next vegetarian but they aren't exactly packed full of flavour. I like to add green beans for a little vibrancy in both colour and flavour. They add something fresh to the rich sauce and the earthy chickpeas. It might not be an authentic addition but it's definitely a delicious one.
The recipe
Chana Masala
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon sunflower oil
- 1 large onion half diced, half thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 0.5 inch root ginger minced
- 2 green chillies diced
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 0.5 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander ground
- 1 pinch cracked black pepper
- 0.25 teaspoon turmeric
- 0.75 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 tin tomatoes
- 1 tin chickpeas
- 150 green beans
- 1 bunch coriander fresh
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil in a pan along with the diced onion and a pinch of salt. Cook on a medium heat for 8-10 minutes of until the onions have begun to soften.
- Add the garlic, ginger, green chillies and other spices (except the garam masala) to the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Transfer the onions and spices to a blender along with 50ml of water and blitz until smooth.
- Add the onion/spice mix to a heavy bottomed sauce pan along with the garamasala, tinned tomatoes, chickpeas and green beans: place on a low heat to simmer for 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, heat the remaining tablespoon of sunflower oil in a pan along with the thinly sliced onions and another pinch of salt. Cook on a medium heat for 10-15 minutes until the onions have softened and begun to brown before adding to the chickpeas.
- Immediately before serving stir through the fresh coriander.
Nutrition
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Marie says
Chana Masala is one of my fav vegetarian curries! I love eating it with plenty of naan. So hearty and perfect for the cooler weather coming up.
Raia Todd says
I've never had chana masala before. Sounds delicious!
Suneita says
I am an Indian food blogger and love to hear about others versions of popular Indian food. Adding beans seems like a good idea for added vegetables intake.
Dannii says
I love a chickpea curry and it's always my go to for a cheap healthy meal. We add spinach in to ours too.
Sam says
I notice you don't fry the black mustard seeds first in oil to "pop" them, in order to release the flavors. If you skip that step, do you still taste all that the seeds have to offer?
Emma says
Hi Sam, you certainly could do that. You get a milder taste using my method which I prefer.