A yummy and easy, homestyle recipe of masala chole or chickpeas curry that tastes amazing paired with both, Indian breads and rice
The chana (chole) masala recipe, that I am sharing with you, is a very popular Indian side dish. Not only back home, but even in London, I have met quite a few people who love this chickpea curry. Chana or chhole, as we call it in Hindi, are garbanzo beans. This legume is pretty much a staple in most homes and is extremely healthy too. One, it is a rich source of proteins and fibres and second, it is so good for bone health as well. You can check some more of its benefits here. Also, not just vegetarian, this happens to be an Indian vegan recipe too.
Now, being a staple food, there are as many recipes as there are communities. The most popular one is the Amritsari chhole, belonging to India’s northern state Punjab. This preparation, is rich and somewhat time taking. While, no doubt it is mouthwatering, what I am sharing with you, is a recipe that I generally make. My chana (chole) masala recipe is a rather easy one. And did I mention, super delicious? Moreover, all spices that I have used are the regular Indian ones. Hence, this one is my homestyle curried chickpeas recipe.
Also check Ghugni – dried yellow peas curry
Easy recipe
For my recipe, I chose to use raw beans that I soaked and boiled, previously, to making the curry. Nonetheless, you can always opt for the canned chickpeas as well. This would in fact, reduce your cooking time considerably. Also, I haven’t used any store bought chana (or chole) masala blend. You will see, how simple and everyday spices can also add so much magic. Hence, this truly is an easy recipe.
Besides the regular masalas, I have also added aamchur powder to my chickpea curry. This is a spice powder that is made from dry and unripe mangoes. And hence, it imparts a lovely tang to the chhole masala. Not to mention, that it does wonders to its overall taste too. If you don’t have it handy, you can replace it with tamarind pulp. However, this is a common Indian spice that you will easily find at an Asian grocery store. In the case that you want to buy it, it shouldn’t be a task.
Chhole chawaal
You can team this chana (chole) masala, with any Indian flatbread or rice. I have served it here, with some naan and jeera rice (cumin flavoured rice). In fact, chhole-chawaal (chickpeas curry and rice), is a more popular choice. It definitely is a bomb combination. Chop up some fresh onion rings and cucumber, and you are set for a lavish meal. You could make a big batch of this on a Sunday evening and freeze it for your weekday meals too.
Alternatively, you could have the chana masala as a snack or an appetizer as well. Instead of adding water and making a curry out of it, keep it dry. Once done, sprinkle some coriander leaves and chat masala, along with a big squeeze of lime juice. And voila! You have a chana chaat ready. To up the taste, you could also add some chilled yoghurt and tamarind chutney too. 🙂
From personal experience, I can tell you that, the chana (chole) masala is a crowd pleaser. Whenever I have made it for guests at home, everyone has loved it. So, I truly hope that you are also going to make it and enjoy it. When you go through the cooking process, you will figure that, it can’t get easier than this!
And here follows the recipe along with some more of my Indian vegetarian ones.
Masoor dal masala – Brown lentil curry
Eat hearty!
Chana (chole) masala
Equipment
- Pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 2 cups chana/chole (garbanzo beans) soaked in water overnight
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 2 large tomatoes chopped
- 2 tsp ginger paste
- 2 tsp garlic paste
- 2 tsp chilli powder
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- 3 tsp coriander powder
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp amchur powder dry mango powder
- 2 tbsp coriander leaves chopped
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 2-3 cardamom
- 2-3 cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 dried red chilis
- 2 tsp cumin seed
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 2 tbsp oil
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Transfer the soaked chana to a pressure cooker along with a tsp of salt, bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and peppercorns*
- Cook them until they are soft and can be easily crushed between two fingers
- Heat the oil in a pan and add the chilis and cumin seeds
- When the cumin turns aromatic, add the onions. Fry until they turn light brown
- Add the ginger and garlic pastes and saute for another minute
- Now add the spice powders (except the amchur powder) along with ½ cup of water and saute until the oil separates
- Add the tomatoes, salt to taste and cook until they turn mushy
- Add the boiled chana/chole, along with the whole spices in it, and mix well. Also, add the aamchur powder now
- Add 2 cups of water (adjust as per the amount of curry you want) and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes
- When you have achieved the curry consistency you like, turn the flame off and add the garam masala and coriander leaves
- Serve the chana (chole) masala hot, with your choice of Indian bread and/or rice and some salad. Enjoy!
Notes
- *If using canned beans, skip this step
- If aamchur powder is unavailable, you can add some tamarind pulp instead
- 1 cup = 250 millilitres
- tsp - teaspoon
- tbsp - tablespoon
Wow wholesome yummy meal
Yayy! I am so glad you like it xx