Chana (chole) masala
A yummy and easy, homestyle recipe of masala chole or chickpeas curry that tastes amazing paired with both, Indian breads and rice
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