C
hana Masala or Curried Chickpeas.
Healthy chickpeas are added to slowly-cooked onions, tomatoes and freshly-ground spices. Finished with lemon, coconut milk and cilantro, this tangy and pleasantly-spicy curry dish makes a perfect side or main course.
Chana Masala
Healthy chickpeas are added to slowly-cooked onions, tomatoes and freshly-ground spices to make this Chana Masala. Finished with lemon, coconut milk and cilantro, this tangy and pleasantly-spicy curry dish makes a perfect side or main course.
Ingredients
Step 1
- 2 sweet onion two large onions, diced
- 1 pinch sea salt
Step 2
- 3 cloves garlic finely minced
- 2 tbsp ginger fresh ginger, finely minced (about 1.5" of ginger)
- 2 jalapeño pepper minced
- 3 cup tomatoes 3 large ones (at least 3 cups)
- 2 cans chickpeas 15 oz can
- 1.5 tsp coriander whole seeds
- 1 tsp ground cumin whole seeds
- ¼ tsp ground cayenne
- 1 tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp Kashmiri powder or regular chili powder
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ⅓ cup water (not needed if you have juicy tomatoes)
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 can coconut milk 13.5 oz can
- ½ cup cilantro fresh
Instructions
- To start, finely dice the onions. Then heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat and add the onions followed by a little salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes or until soft and golden. * Note: because you are not using any oil, sweat the onions with a bit of vegetable stock or water if needed. Meanwhile, prepare the rest of your mise en place (French for "put in place", meaning proper planning of equipment and ingredients, measuring and cutting it all up so it is ready to go).
- To prepare your mise en place, first finely mince the garlic, ginger and jalapeño peppers. Depending on how spicy you like your curry, you may want to remove some of the ribs and seeds. Next, core and dice the tomatoes into medium dice. Drain and rinse the chickpeas under cold water and set aside.
- Remember to stir the onions occasionally and adjust the heat downward, if necessary. They need to cook slowly until they become a nice, even golden color.
- Next, using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, finely grind the coriander followed by the cumin. Lastly measure out the cayenne, turmeric and Kashmiri powder. *Kashmiri powder can be substituted with regular chili powder.
- Once the onions are soft and golden, add the garlic, ginger and peppers. Stir to coat and let cook for a minute or so until they release their aroma. Then add the spices and cook just until they release their fragrance.
- Next, turn the heat up to medium, add the tomatoes and stir to combine. Then add the salt and cook until the tomatoes start to break down and soften, about 10 minutes. Once the tomatoes are soft, add the chickpeas and water. Stir to coat with the onions and spices. Bring the mixture to a quick boil and then turn down the heat too low. Cover but leave the lid slightly ajar. This will allow the moisture to evaporate very slowly, while the chickpeas cook. Let this simmer and cook for about 20 minutes in total, stirring occasionally to ensure nothing is sticking. After about 10 minutes, check to see how much moisture remains. You want it to reduce and thicken, but still have some liquid.
Meanwhile, you can prepare the garnish. - While the chickpeas cook, roll the lemon to release its juices and then cut in half. Roughly chop the cilantro and check on the chickpeas. Once almost all of the liquid has evaporated, squeeze the lemon juice over top and let cook for another minute or so. To finish the dish, turn off the heat and stir in the coconut milk.
*NOTE: Non-dairy coconut "yogurt" or full-fat coconut milk work well in this recipe but low fat coconut milk is an option too. Another option would be to mix ½ cup cashew cream with ¼ cup of water.
Just before serving, fold in the cilantro and test for seasoning.
Notes
Served with rice, this delicious dish is hearty enough to be served as a main course. However, it is also great served with a variety of other dishes such as dal, grilled pappadums or naan bread.
Credits: Rouxbe (the world’s leading online cooking school).
Nutrition
Calories: 189kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 3gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 224mgPotassium: 529mgFiber: 3gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 751IUVitamin C: 27mgCalcium: 53mgIron: 3mg
Did you try making this recipe?Mention @JvVHealth or tag #jvvhealth
John, I made this recipe for over 40 people Vegan and Non Vegan, everyone I mean everyone LOVED it and asked for the recipe I gave you the credit and directed them to your site. THANK you!
Love it and I’m glad you are using the recipes. I always make a big batch and freeze several portions.
Love the flavor of this and very easy to make. I used half a can of coconut milk instead of the whole can to make it less creamy.
great, I’m glad you liked it. You can do like you mentioned to make it less creamy or you can use the light coconut milk.