Chana Masala (Easy Vegan Indian Chickpea Curry in 30 Minutes)

Chana masala (चना मसाला), also called chole, is North India's everyday chickpea curry: plump chickpeas simmered in a thick, tangy onion-and-tomato masala with ginger, garlic, green chili and a warm blend of cumin, coriander, turmeric and garam masala, then brightened at the end with amchur (dried mango powder) or lemon. It is naturally vegan, costs almost nothing to make and comes together from pantry staples in half an hour, which is why it is the dish so many Indian families cook on a weeknight. On a cool evening it is deeply satisfying with a bowl of basmati rice or a stack of hot rotis.

What separates a great chana masala from a bland one is the masala base. The onions are cooked slowly until truly golden, not just soft, which gives the gravy its sweetness and body. The spices go in with the tomatoes and are fried until the oil separates and glistens at the edges of the pan, a stage Indian cooks call bhuna, and it is the single most important step. Finally, mashing a spoonful of the chickpeas into the sauce thickens it without cream, and the last hit of amchur and garam masala keeps the flavor bright rather than heavy.

Ingredients

• 2 cans (400 g / 14 oz each) chickpeas, drained and rinsed, or 500 g (3 cups) cooked chickpeas from 220 g (1 cup) dried
• 3 tablespoons neutral oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 medium onions (about 300 g / 10 oz), finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 to 2 green chilies, finely chopped (seeds removed for less heat)
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder
• 3 medium tomatoes (about 400 g / 14 oz), finely chopped, or 1 can (400 g) crushed tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 250 ml (1 cup) water, plus more as needed
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon amchur (dried mango powder), or 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), optional
• A handful of cilantro, chopped; thin slices of red onion and lemon wedges, to serve

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a wide, heavy pan over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle for about 30 seconds, until fragrant and a shade darker.
2. Add the onions with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, for 10 to 12 minutes, until soft and deeply golden. Do not rush this; pale onions make a thin, sharp-tasting gravy.
3. Stir in the ginger, garlic and green chili and cook for 1 minute, until the raw smell disappears.
4. Add the ground coriander, cumin, turmeric and chili powder and stir for 30 seconds to toast them in the oil, then add the tomatoes and the salt.
5. Cook the tomatoes down over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring and scraping the pan, until the mixture is thick, jammy and the oil separates and pools at the edges. This bhuna stage is what makes the curry taste cooked rather than raw.
6. Add the chickpeas and the water and stir well. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook for 10 minutes so the chickpeas absorb the masala.
7. Uncover and mash about a quarter of the chickpeas against the side of the pan with the back of a spoon; simmer for 5 more minutes until the gravy is thick enough to coat the chickpeas. Add a splash of water if it looks dry.
8. Stir in the garam masala, amchur (or lemon juice) and the kasuri methi crushed between your palms. Taste and adjust the salt. Turn off the heat, scatter with cilantro and serve with red onion slices and lemon wedges alongside rice or rotis.

Tips

• Substitutions: no amchur? Lemon juice does the job; a teaspoon of tamarind paste is also traditional. Swap the fresh tomatoes for canned in winter. For a darker, more Punjabi-style chole, simmer the chickpeas with a black tea bag for the first 10 minutes and add 1/2 teaspoon extra garam masala. Dried chickpeas soaked overnight and pressure-cooked give the creamiest result, but canned are perfectly good.
• Storage and make-ahead: chana masala keeps for 4 days in the fridge and improves overnight as the chickpeas soak up the sauce. It freezes well for 3 months. Reheat in a pan with a splash of water, then refresh with a squeeze of lemon and fresh cilantro.
• What to serve with it: steamed basmati or jeera rice, hot rotis, chapatis or naan, a cooling cucumber raita, and a simple kachumber salad of tomato, cucumber and onion with lemon. It is also excellent spooned over toast or stuffed into a wrap for lunch the next day.
• Heat: one green chili and 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder make it mild; two chilies and a full teaspoon make it medium. Kashmiri chili powder adds color more than fire; if using regular hot chili powder, halve the amount.
• For extra body without cream, blend a ladle of the finished curry and stir it back in, or add 2 tablespoons of ground cashews with the tomatoes.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is an estimate only: about 320 kcal, 13 g protein, 13 g fat, 40 g carbohydrate per serving, without rice or bread.