There is only one food but many names. Yes, it is, some food is famous by different name in different places. For example, today’s recipe is called Chana Masala, Chole Masala, Channe, Chole. All the recipes are the same, maybe a little change.
This is a very popular street food. There is a huge influx of chana masala on the streets, or in small restaurants, railway platforms, and school canteens. It will always be in between all the food at different events or festivals. This is very popular, especially in Punjab. This is one of the most famous Indian recipes or Indian dishes that can be prepared within 30 minutes.
The Base of this recipe
Large amounts of onion, ginger and green chillies are the main ingredients of this Chana Masala. The use of garlic is completely optional. Nobody likes to eat garlic and no one does it again, but I like it myself so I made this recipe with garlic.
Another royal ingredient in this Chana Masala is tomato. The extraordinary combination of tomatoes with ginger, garlic, green chili, coriander takes this recipe at the next level. Also, it has the taste of cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom. If this Chana masala can be cooked properly, then everyone will appreciate it’s taste.
Before I finish cooking I like to give some amount of kasoori methi (dry fenugreek leaves) in it, many give it. Personally, this kasoori methi is my favorite of all Indian spices. So when making this Chana Masala, after all, add a small amount of Kasoori methi powder, make a slight stir and then come down.
But here you can know how to make restaurant-style chana masala that will bring water to your mouth. You can also serve it with bread, paratha, baby naan or rice.
Related: Paneer Tikka Masala Recipe
How is chana masala made?
The first step in making Chana Masala is to soak the chickpeas. So keep the chana soaked overnight.
Onions and tomatoes enhance the taste of this recipe. So saute the tomatoes and onions well. Then the gravy is well cooked with all the spices to make. Then add the soaked chickpeas and give a little saute. Now served it directly them from the pan.
Which spice powder or hot spice to use?
I use home-made garam masala. If you want to use readymade chole masala, you can use them. But this recipe does not require any chole masala but it just needs a fragrant hot spice or garam masala (recipe mentioned below).
If you do not have both, just proceed with the use of curry powder. But the taste will not be the same.
How to make this one-pot dish?
Not all chana are alike. Some Chana is usually cooked and some Chana takes a long time to cook. So it is easy to cook Chana Masala in one-pot but you have to test it every time.
You know, for a while, it takes so long to make this Chana Masala that the taste of the recipe changes. I think the gravy loses its flavor due to overcooking.
That is why I like to keep the Chickpeas soaked in advance, then cook it well and add the gravy at last.
If you read this recipe and made chana masala, be sure to give feedback in the comments section below with a good rating. Share your recipe recipes with #crispyfoodidea on Instagram, I will be very happy to see that.
Restaurant Style Chana Masala or Kabuli Chana Recipe
Chana Masala
Equipment
- Bowl
- Non-Stick Frying Pan
- Pressure Cooker
- Blender
Ingredients
- 250 grm Chickpea (Channa or Kabuli Chana)
- 2 pcs. Potato (cut into small cubed)
- 2 pcs. Large Onion chopped or paste
- 2 pcs. Tomato small size
- 1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
- 2 or 3 pcs. Green chili
- ½ tbsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 tbsp Cumin Powder (Jeera Powder)
- 1 tbsp Coriander Powder
- 1 tbsp Kashmiri Chili Powder
- 1 tbsp Red Chili Powder (optional)
- 4 tbsp Oil Soybean oil or olive oil as your wish
- Salt as per taste
- ⅓ tbsp Sugar (optional)
- ½ tbsp Kasoori Methi (Dry Fenugreek Leaves) crushed or powdered
- ⅓ cup Coriander leaves finely chopped
- 2 cup Water
Instructions
Preparation of Gravy
- Paste the tomatoes in a blender and keep it in a bowl.
- Again, paste the chopped onions, ginger and garlic together and keep aside.
Prepare Chana Masala
- Keep the chickpeas wet about 3 to 4 hours in a bowl.
- Take all the chickpeas in a pressure cooker and boiled 3 minutes.
- After that do the same with chopped potatoes.
- Heat a pan on the oven and put 2 tbsp of oil.
- Add a pinch of cumin seeds, 2 cardamoms, 1 cinnamon and fry a little.
- Now add the onion paste and saute. After it keeps the gas flame on medium.
- Add all the powdered spice like cumin powder, turmeric powder, Kashmiri chili powder, coriander powder and stir it well.
- Now add the tomato paste or tomato puree and give a good mix.
- Stir all the spices until the tomatoes are release oil. Also, you can add a pinch of salt to make this quick.
- After that put the potatoes and chickpeas in the pan.
- Mix it well and saute until the chickpeas are boiled perfectly and potatoes become mushy.
- Add salt and sugar as per your taste.
- Add chopped coriander leaves and mix it well.
- If you want Chana Masala dry, then you can serve it now with add some garam masala powder and dry fenugreek powder. Or follow the next steps to make it gravy.
Chana Masala Geavy or Chickpea Curry
- Add 2 cups of water and mix it.
- When water comes boiling add 1 tbsp of garam masala powder and kasoori methi powder.
- After 1 minute turn off the gas and serve it immediately with nan.
Video
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
Nutrition
Related: Chickpea Snacks Recipes
Also, it has an Instant pot version. If you do not have much time to prepare this chole masala, then you can try my Instant pot chana masala recipe. It’s also very easy and after taste this, you will love this recipe.
Instant Pot Chana Masala Recipe
Ingredients are all same for this instant pot recipe.
- 250 grams Chickpea (Channa or Kabuli Chana)
- 2 pcs. Potato (cut into small cubed)
- 2 pcs. Large Onion chopped or paste
- 2 pcs. Tomato small size
- 1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
- 2 or 3 pcs. Green chili
- ½ tbsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 tbsp Cumin Powder (Jeera Powder)
- 2 tbsp Coriander Powder
- 1 tbsp Kashmiri Chili Powder
- 1 tbsp Red Chili Powder (optional)
- 4 tbsp Oil Soybean oil or olive oil as your wish
- Salt as per taste
- ⅓ tbsp Sugar (optional)
- ½ tbsp Kasoori Methi (Dry Fenugreek Leaves) crushed or powdered
- ⅓ cup Coriander leaves finely chopped
- 2 cup Water.
The main equipment of this recipe is a pressure cooker. So follow step by step recipe to make this awesome chickpea curry instantly.
Instructions
- Put a pressure cooker on the oven and heat the oil.
- When the oil was heated, keeps the heat to medium.
- Add all the dry spices like cardamom, cinnamon, cumin seeds, and cloves with one or two bay leaves. Give a little fry.
- Now add the onion paste and give a little saute.
- Add all the powdered spice like cumin powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, black pepper powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and mix well.
- Pour the tomato paste along with 1 or 2 pinches of salt and saute until oil released.
- Now add all the chopped potato and stir it well for 1 or 2 minutes.
- After that add the chickpeas and mix well.
- Add salt and sugar as per your taste and lock the pressure cooker for 10 minutes or up to 3 whistles.
- Now add the chopped coriander leaves and stir for 1 minute.
- At last, add the crushed dry fenugreek leaves and garam masala powder. Give a good mix and serve immediately with roti or nan.
Chana Masala Powder or Chole Masala Powder
Ingredients of Chana Masala Powder
- 3 tbsp Coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp Cumin Seeds
- Dry Red chilies 3 to 4
- Peppercorns 1/2 tbsp
- Grated Nutmeg 1/8 tbsp
- Cinnamon 1 pcs (3 inches)
- Green Cardamom 4 pieces
- Black Cardamom 3 pieces
- Cloves 10-12 pieces
Instruction
- Heat a pan or Kadhai on high heat. Then keep the flame on medium.
- Dry roast all the ingredients without adding any oil.
- Roast them in medium heat until they turn light brown.
- Let it cool and grind them into a grinder or spice blend and store it in an airtight container.
Related: Butter Chicken Recipe
Experiment Time
Let’s experiment
If you make a little change in this recipe it will turn into another famous recipe named Chole Bhature.
Chole Bhature is very much popular in India mostly in Punjab because it’s a Punjabi dish. There are two dishes combined Chole + Bhature. This chole is prepared a bit differently than chana masala (a few different ingredients extra), and Bhature is actually puri mainly made with all-purpose flour and sooji.
Chole Bhature
Punjabi Chole Bhature Recipe
Ingredients
For Bhature
- 250 grams All-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp Sooji / Semolina / Rava
- ½ tbsp Baking Soda
- ⅓ tbsp Baking Powder
- 1 tbsp Thick curd (Yogurt or Dahi)
- 1 cup Water
- 250 grams Oil
For Chole
- 250 grams Chickpeas
- 2 pcs Onion finely chopped
- 1 cup Tomato Paste or puree
- 1 pcs Black cardamom
- 6 pcs Peppercorns
- 3 pcs Cardamom
- 1 pcs Cinnamon 3-inch stick
- 4 pcs Cloves
- 1 pcs Bay Leaf
- 4 wedges Dried Gooseberry (Amla)
- Salt as per taste
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tbsp Kasoori Methi Powder (dry fenugreek)
- ⅓ tbsp Amchur powder
- 1 pinch Ajwain (Carom Seeds)
Instructions
Making Chole or Chana Masala
- Soak chickpeas overnight. In a small muslin cloth add black cardamom, peppercorns, cardamom, cloves, bay leaf, dried gooseberry(amla) and make a small bag.
- In a deep vessel or pressure cooker add the soaked chickpeas, muslin bag, baking soda, and 5 cups water.
- Boil the chickpeas till they are soft & tender.
- Remove the spice bag and keep the chickpeas aside.
- In a pan heat oil, add ajwain.
- Add chopped Chopped onion, ginger and garlic.
- Saute and then add chopped onions till light brown.
- Now add turmeric, Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, and chili powder.
- Stir and immediately add fresh tomato puree.
- Cook this masala till oil oozes out.
- Add salt, kasoori methi powder, and amchur to this.
- Add the chickpeas along with water.
- Now cook till 20 minutes it reduces and thickens up.
- Check for seasoning and serve hot.
Making Bhature
- For the dough take refined flour in a bowl. add salt, curd. Sooji, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, and little water.
- Make a soft dough and let it rest for 2 hours.
- Heat up oil in a deep Pan.
- Apply oil on your hands and pull out a small ball of the dough. Shape it round and then place it on to the kitchen counter.
- Roll out oblong or round and deep fry them in hot oil.
Serving
- Serve them hot with choley.
Video
Notes
* Serve this with salad will be the best for digest.
Nutrition
Tips to make Chana Masala
- Soaking chana overnight reduces the cooking time and avoids flatulence.
- Pressure cooking chana with a pinch of baking soda helps to cook them softer. However, you can also skip it and just cook the chana for longer or for more whistles.
- This chana masala is made with regular garam masala. Just ensure you use a good one as it is the key ingredient that flavors the dish.
COMMON FAQ
Q. Why is it called Kabuli Chana?
A. Kabuli, the word comes from Kabul, the capital of Afganistan. When it’s first import in India they named it as same. After that, it will cultivate widely in the Mediterranean place. It’s also known as Kala Chana or Bengal Gram.
Q. Is chana masala usually vegan?
A. Yes, this is a vegan dish. Because there is not any use of animal-related products.
Q. How chickpeas help in weight loss?
A. Chickpeas are rich in protein and fiber, both of which help with weight loss. Fiber keeps you long and protein suppresses appetite. The fiber content in it takes good care of your digestive system.
Benefits of chickpeas
Lowers sugar level
Glycemic index ranks foods on the basis of how much they increase our blood sugar levels. So, it is recommended to avoid food with a high glycemic index to avoid a drastic increase in blood sugar. According to Harvard Medical School, chickpeas have an index of 10, which is significantly lower than other beans, including black beans, navy beans, soybeans, and lentils.
Improves heart health
The high fiber, potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin B-6 content in chickpea supports heart health. Chickpeas contain good amounts of fiber, which helps lower the amount of cholesterol in the blood and thus decreases the risk of heart disease.
Reduces inflammation
The choline in chickpeas helps to improve sleep, muscle movement, learning, and memory. Choline also helps in maintaining the structure of the cellular membrane, aids in the transmission of nerve impulses and absorption of fat and reduces chronic inflammation.
Q. How much soda to put for 1kg of Chole?
A. Usually, it is better to cook without baking soda. But when time is short on hand, little baking soda is used to quickly boil the chickpeas. That’s why I recommend using 1/2 teaspoon baking soda to boil 1 kg chickpeas.
Q. Quantity of material needed for 20 people to make a chole recipe?
A. In such a way, no one can say exactly how much peas are needed. Sometimes it depends on the serving bowl. For every 4 people, I carry 250 grams of peas. For that, 4 x 5 = 20 people will need 250 grams X 5 = 1250 grams of chickpeas. However, if you want to eat more, you can increase the quantity of it. However, the rest of the spices will increase gradually.
Q. How much onion is to be taken for 3 kg Chole?
A. Approxmently 10 to 12 pieces medium-sized onion.
Only for foodies:
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- Vegetarian Recipes
- Paneer Curry Masala
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Wow!! It looks so delicious and tasty… The color of this recipe is so nice! Today, I made this tasty recipe at home for dinner and my family likes it so much. Thanks for the delicious recipe…