Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat
Indian Chana Masala
印度香料鷹嘴豆
Recipe overview
Tender chickpeas simmer in a thick tomato, onion and spice gravy for a fibre-rich Indian home meal served with rice or flatbread.
01
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 800 g drained weight cooked chickpeas
- 500 g tomatoes
- 250 g onion
- 20 g ginger
- 4 cloves garlic
- 20 g coriander
- 1 lime
Spice mixture
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
Sauce seasoning
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 250 ml water
02
Tools
- deep frying pan
- saucepan
- colander
- cutting board
- kitchen knife
- wooden spoon
- measuring spoons
- serving bowl
03
Steps
Step 1
Rinse chickpeas
Rinse cooked chickpeas under clean running water and drain thoroughly.
Step 2
Chop aromatics and tomatoes
Chop onion, tomatoes, ginger and garlic separately.
Step 3
Toast ground spices
Warm cumin, coriander, turmeric and chilli in a dry pan for 30 seconds over low heat.
Step 4
Cook onion until golden
Add oil and onion and cook for eight minutes until evenly golden.
Step 5
Add ginger and garlic
Stir in ginger and garlic for one minute without letting them burn.
Step 6
Cook down tomato base
Add tomatoes and salt and cook for eight minutes until thick and soft.
Step 7
Bloom the spices
Stir in toasted spices and garam masala and cook for one minute.
Step 8
Add chickpeas and water
Add drained chickpeas and water, stir well and bring to a boil.
Step 9
Simmer uncovered
Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 10
Mash some chickpeas
Mash about one quarter of the chickpeas against the pan to thicken the gravy.
Step 11
Balance with lime
Taste with a clean spoon, adjust salt and stir in lime juice off heat.
Step 12
Garnish and rest
Fold in coriander, rest for five minutes and serve hot.
Common mistakes
- Burning spices over high heat makes them bitter.
- Undercooked tomatoes leave a raw taste.
- Poorly drained chickpeas make watery gravy.
- Long cooking after lime is added dulls its aroma.
Tips
Use fully cooked chickpeas; toast spices gently and reduce the tomato base before adding the beans.
