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Home » Recipes

Chana Masala

Published: Aug 18, 2019 · Modified: Feb 6, 2022 by Emma · This post may contain affiliate links · 6 Comments

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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

Chana Masala

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!

5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 45 minutes mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Servings 2 people
Calories 315.32 kcal

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

Calories: 315.32kcalCarbohydrates: 41.43gProtein: 9.37gFat: 15.87gSaturated Fat: 1.69gSodium: 181.41mgPotassium: 1049.9mgFiber: 14.85gSugar: 18.38gVitamin A: 3132.7IUVitamin C: 63.68mgCalcium: 187.92mgIron: 5.14mg
Keyword black mustard seeds, chickpeas, coriander, garam masala, green chilli, onion, tinned tomatoes, turmeric
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Marie says

    August 18, 2019 at 2:12 pm

    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.

    Reply
  2. Raia Todd says

    August 18, 2019 at 3:05 pm

    I've never had chana masala before. Sounds delicious!

    Reply
  3. Suneita says

    August 18, 2019 at 3:39 pm

    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.

    Reply
  4. Dannii says

    August 18, 2019 at 4:58 pm

    I love a chickpea curry and it's always my go to for a cheap healthy meal. We add spinach in to ours too.

    Reply
  5. Sam says

    October 21, 2024 at 2:36 pm

    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?

    Reply
    • Emma says

      October 21, 2024 at 5:44 pm

      Hi Sam, you certainly could do that. You get a milder taste using my method which I prefer.

      Reply
5 from 2 votes

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Hi, I'm Emma. I'm a UK based food blogger who's been sharing recipes with the world since 2011. I'm passionate about eating a plant based diet using local, seasonal ingredients.

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