Chana masala

My all-time favorite Indian dish is chana masala. And as much as I love this dish, I’ve never had the courage to try making it at home. It just seemed so daunting to me, and I know I could never come close to making it as authentically tasty as the one at my favorite Indian restaurant, Royal Taj. Chana simply means chickpeas, and masala refers to a general spice blend, which can vary across the regions of India; so thus, chana masala is essentially chickpeas stewed with a blend of Indian spices. Simple. Clean. Delicious.

Last night I had such a hankering for this hearty, warm meal, so I decided to take on the challenge and finally make it at home. I had pretty much all the ingredients, except black mustard seeds, so I really had no excuse not to make it this time. I researched several recipes, and while all shared the same basic ingredients, I decided to use the recipe I found on seriouseats.com. I’m a visual person, and the image that accompanied the recipe on this web site was drool-inducing.

Even though I was missing the black mustard seeds, my chana masala turned out wonderfully! Black mustard seeds lend a unique, pungent, perfumy heat to the dish and are quite iconic of Indian cooking. Perhaps my chana masala would have reached Royal Taj status if I only had those mustard seeds? But this is why I love cooking so much; you really can tweak any recipe to your taste, adding, omitting, and substituting ingredients as you see fit. The kitchen is my studio!

Below is the recipe, with a few of my own modifications. The original recipe called for Thai chilis, but I have jalapenos growing in my garden, so I used those. I also omitted the ¼ tsp of baking soda, which the supposedly helps break down and caramelize the onions faster when they are sautéed together.

Chana Masala recipe from seriouseats.com

4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 (1-inch) knob ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

1 ½ jalapeno peppers, roughly chopped

2 Tbsp. lemon juice, divided

Kosher salt

2 Tbsp. oil

2 tsp. black mustard seeds (I did not have these, but I recommend using them in the recipe)

1 tsp. whole cumin seeds

1 large onion, diced

2 tsp. ground coriander

½ tsp. black pepper

½ tsp. ground turmeric

1 ½ tsp. garam masala

1 can diced tomatoes

2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

Combine the garlic, ginger, jalapenos, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice, and ½ tsp. kosher salt in a mortar and pestle or in a small food processor and pulverize until a fine paste is produced. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Toast the seeds until they are fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the onions and stir frequently until the onions are begin to brown. Cook for about 10 minutes total, or until the onions are caramelized.

Add the garlic-ginger-chili paste to the onions and stir to combine. Stir in the coriander, black pepper, turmeric, and garam masala. Add the tomatoes and chickpeas, and stir again. Add in most of the cilantro, reserving some for garnish. Add ½ cup water and stir.

Bring the pot to a simmer, cover with the lid slightly cracked and reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir occasionally until the mixture has reduced down and become thick (about 30 minutes).

Stir in the remaining 1 Tbps. lemon juice and season with more salt and garam masala to taste. Top with cilantro and serve with rice and naan bread.