Chana Masala
April 29, 2010 | Print | E-mail | Filed under chick peas, Indian
Since I already posted about naan this week, I figured I’d take the opportunity to share something that you can serve along with it. When a good friend and I were planning a big Indian food night a few months ago (my first time cooking Indian), she sent along this recipe that she got from an Indian friend of hers who is from the city Pune, which is very close to Mumbai. Out of all the dishes we made, this one is my absolute favorite. It’s supposed to be served as a side dish, but hubby and I eat it as an entrée with our naan because of how perfectly filling it is. It’s not at all hard to make, either – even if you’ve never had Indian before, give it a try!
- 1/2 onion
- 1 tomato
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp asafoetida (since I couldn’t find this, I substituted 1 clove garlic)
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 can (14.5 oz) chick peas, drained
- 1/4 cup warm water
In a medium sauce pan, heat 3-4 Tbsp vegetable oil. Once heated, sprinkle on the mustard and cumin seeds. They will sputter if the oil was hot enough. Chop up the onion, tomato, and garlic.
Once the sputtering has stopped, add in the asafoetida (or garlic) and tumeric powder. Drop in the onion and tomato and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add in the salt.
Add in the chick peas and water, and stir until well-combined. Let boil until the water cooks down and the chick peas have picked up the flavor of the spices.
Garnish with coriander if desired, and serve with naan.
Loading ...
April 29th, 2010 at 9:05 am
The only Indian-type food I have had is naan! I am so deprived.
April 29th, 2010 at 9:35 am
Yum! I LOVE Indian food. I’ve found that if someone likes Mexican food, they will often enjoy Indian food because of the similarities (cilantro, coriander, cumin, etc.). Thanks for sharing!
April 29th, 2010 at 10:03 am
ooooo, this looks fantastic, I really love Indian flavors
April 29th, 2010 at 10:31 am
Cumin, Mustard Seed and Tumeric…sounds like a pickling recipe and I bet it was delicious too!
April 29th, 2010 at 10:48 am
This is my kind of meal. I absolutely adore Indian spices and we are lucky to have several Indian stores here to find fresh (and cheap!) spices.
April 29th, 2010 at 11:19 am
I love the spices in this dish. I haven’t experienced much Indian food, but this looks great!
April 29th, 2010 at 1:09 pm
Sound really delicious. I have never tried this either. Thanks for the introduction to some interesting foods. I will have to give it a try.
April 29th, 2010 at 2:54 pm
Looks different and delicious at the same time!
April 29th, 2010 at 5:05 pm
One of my favorite types of food is Indian food but I’ve never tried to make it. What a tragedy! I’ve always been a little nervous because of all the spices and such. I love this recipe, though. It looks so tasty and easy!
April 29th, 2010 at 8:47 pm
I love chana masala, but have never made it! Yours looks so good that I think I need to try. Thanks for the motivation!
April 30th, 2010 at 3:26 pm
I love channa masala, too. The recipe I use calls for a lot more tomato and a lot more spice!
And I douse every Indian dish with a sprinkling of cilantro. I love the taste of the heat of the dish combined with the cool of the cilantro. Now you have me in a serious mood for Indian food!!!
May 2nd, 2010 at 9:41 pm
This does indeed sound delicious! I’ve just begun to cook Indian food and I’m over the moon about it!
May 5th, 2010 at 5:07 pm
I LOVE Indian food. We thought we were going to get an Indian restaurant here in town, but it apparently fell through. *sob* I’ll have to make this to satisfy my cravings!