Offering some comfort and warmth with this delicious dish built from pantry staples.
The beauty of this chana masala comes from the simplicity of its ingredients tossed in a mixture of earthen spices. This is a full-bodied, throaty curry by nature but you can adjust spice level as desired.
Although they rarely make the front page, the health potency of garlic and onion should not be underestimated. Part of the allium family, they are a class of vegetables rich in powerful phytonutrients that operate as antioxidants in the body.
Combined here with the beautifully aromatic and anti-inflammatory properties of ginger and curcumin (turmeric), there’s plenty going on in this simple dish.
I drizzled some of our yummy cashew cream from last week’s recipe — it brings a cooling counterpoint and some great bonus nutrients.
other optional add-ons / variations:
- baby spinach
- sliced sweet bell pepper
- pitted and sliced kalamata olive
- mushrooms
- serve as desired — on its own, with grain of choice, side of greens or salad
Cheers – ♥
- For the Chickpea Mixture:
- 1 yellow onion, small dice
- 4 cloves garlic (or to taste), minced
- 1 Tbsp grated ginger (reduce if you prefer milder spice)
- 1 can (425g) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (425g) tomato purée (could also use diced tomatoes)
- ½ cup water
- Sea salt & cracked pepper to taste
- Handful of chopped cilantro or parsley to serve
- For the Masala Spice Mixture:
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ⅓ - ½ tsp red chili flakes (according to taste, reduce if you prefer less heat)
- Combine masala spices in a small bowl, whisking together to combine and set aside.
- Warm some olive oil (about 2 Tbsp) in a skillet over low-medium heat.
- Add chopped onion and minced garlic to the oil and sauté for a couple minutes to soften. Sprinkle mixture with a few cracks of sea salt and add grated ginger, mixing to combine.
- Add the masala spice mixture to the pan, mixing to combine, while gradually adding water to moisten.
- Add about ¾ of the can of tomatoes and full can of chickpeas, mixing everything together to warm.
- Add a few more cracks of salt and a pinch of pepper (I added a good pinch, but to preference).
- Depending on taste and texture preferences, add remaining tomatoes or water to adjust thickness. Continue warming ingredients until thoroughly mixed and serve with some chopped fresh herbs and rice, or as desired.
my soul tells me, we were
all broken from the same nameless
heart, and every living thing
wakes with a piece of that original
heart aching its way into blossom.
This is why we know each other
below our strangeness, why when
we fall, we lift each other, or when
in pain, we hold each other, why
when sudden with joy, we dance
together. Life is the many pieces
of that great heart loving itself
back together ~ Mark Nepo
I made this amazing Chana Masala last night for the family with some basmati rice. I doubled the Chana recipe, but halved the hot pepper and it was just perfect for the kids. Didn’t have cilantro, so will have to try that next time. So delicious and we have leftovers for tonight!
Hi Shauna, that’s the best! I’m thrilled to hear that it worked out for the whole family; thank you for sharing your feedback (and method) so helpful. This is the recipe that I’ve been making the most for the past month (trying not to make it every single day, hah!) we love it too. Enjoy those leftovers and thanks again for stopping by; loved reading.
Love the masala spice mix! This is an inspiring recipe to get me to pull out all of those specialty spices and actually use then. We’ve been experimenting more with curry dishes and this is different than some I’ve seen. I’ll be making this one! Thanks Kelly!
I love chickpea curries and chickpeas in general (yesterday I made one more batch of hummus, after I had just finished the previous one…), so I’ll probably start soaking some more tonight after seeing this beautiful dish!
During my long absence I missed so many recipes and posts and among them the cashew cream which sounds very tempting!
I imagine you must be a lot in your garden these days…. Any new plants?
I suspect I’ll be raiding my pantry in the following two weeks and this beautiful recipe will be the first to try! We just got back from Spain so we’ve decided to self-isolate for 14 days even though we have no symptoms. I‘m certain I’ll do a lot of blogging during this period.
This sounds like my kind of comfort food, simple but nutritious, with a fiery sauce!
yes! love the fire too :0)
Looks very yummy Kelly! I look forward to trying it. Love the ingredients!
thanks Lynn! i hope you love it :)
Some of my favorite flavors and it looks delicious. Beautiful recipe, beautiful words, thank you!
thank you! appreciate you stopping by.