Chole Masala|Punjabi Chana Masala

Chana masala is a classic and very popular Punjabi dish of chickpea curry made with onion tomato gravy pairs well with rice and or flatbread.

What is Chana Masala?

As I mentioned above chana masala or the way we call it chole masala is a very famous North Indian dish made with chickpeas.

It’s a quintessential curry served in restaurants, hotels, marriages and any other celebration throughout the country and worldwide.

Basic Ingredients for Chana Masala:

The basic ingredients to make chana masala are listed below.

• Firstly, Chickpeas- Dried chickpeas do well in the recipe but need a soaking time if you’re in a hurry you can use canned chickpeas.
• Tomato-Good quality medium-sized tomatoes are perfect for the recipe, however, canned tomatoes can be used as well.
• Onions- I prefer to use red onions for that strong and spicy flavor in the curry.
• Ginger and garlic-We need lots of ginger and garlic in the curry for flavors and to help the protein digestion.
• Green chili- I use finger green chilies which are really spicy, you can omit or use any other mild ones.
• Spices-When it comes to any Punjabi curry the basic four spices turmeric, coriander, garam masala, and red chilly powders are a must.
• Salt- Use as per your tatste.
• Dried fenugreek leaves-Gives a very nice flavor to the dish.
• Coriander leaves- For refreshing the dish with subtle flavors.
• Oil-Any kind of cooking oil is perfect for the curry.

How to make chana masala?

The dish sounds very difficult to make but believe me it is one of the easiest. Soak your chickpeas, drain and boil them in a pressure cooker for few whistles or cook the chickpeas in a pan cook until soft.

The next thing is to make the tadka, in a pan saute the onion-garlic ginger paste along with tomato puree, add spices and cook until oil separates from it.

Adjust the consistency by adding more or less water and lastly add the chickpeas, simmer the dish until done. Finally serve warm garnished with chopped coriander leaves.

Serving suggestions:

The chana masala is best paired with boiled rice, flatbreads, naan, paratha, etc. You can also serve along with raita, papad, and salad.

Looking for more such curry recipes to get some ideas for your lunch or dinner? Do not miss my Malai Kofta Curry and Matar Mushroom Curry and the best one’s Chole bhature.

*If you ever try this recipe don’t forget to share your photos with me on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter or tag me on Instagram @cookingwithsapana using the hashtag #cookingwithsapana and stay connected* I would love to see your creations from my space!!

Punjabi Chana Masala

Sapana Behl

Chana masala is a classic dish of chickpea curry made with onion tomato gravy and served with soft naan bread.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Soaking Time 6 hours hrs

Total Time 6 hours hrs 35 minutes mins

Course Lunch

Cuisine Indian

Servings 4 People

Equipment

• Pressure Cooker
• Saucepan

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 cups chickpea soaked in water overnight
• 2 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 can tomatoes chopped
• 2 green chillies
• 4 tablespoon oil
• water as required
• coriander leaves chopped
• 1 black cardamom
• 2 bay leave
• 3-4 cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick

Spices

• 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 2 teaspoon coriander powder
• 2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
• salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon garam masala

Instructions

 

• Boil the soaked chickpea in a pot or pressure cooker for 4-5 whistles.
• Heat a wok or pan, add whole spices, dried fenugreek leaves stir and add the onion-ginger-garlic paste.
• Sauté till it becomes golden in color.
• Add all spices and salt, stir and sauté for 2 minutes.
• Now add tomato purée in the above mixture. Stir frequently and cook till oil comes out from edges.
• Now add chickpeas and mix well. Add 1 1/2 cup water and bring them to boil on low heat for 15 minutes.
• Remove from heat and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
• Serve with Naan Bread.

Notes

 

1. Adjust the spices as per your taste buds.
2. You may also use canned chickpeas to make the curry.
3. Store the leftovers in the refrigerator for a couple of days and warm before serving
4. It can be frozen up to a month in a deep freezer.

 

Keyword Chana Masala, punjabi chana masala, punjabi chole chawal

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Best Regards,
Sapana Behl