Spicy Channa Masala

⏱ 50 mins 🍽 4-6 serving(s) 🌶 indian 🏷 Curries

This recipe guides you through creating a deeply flavoured and aromatic channa masala. The process involves soaking and cooking chickpeas with tea bags to achieve a dark colour, then preparing a complex spice blend. A ground paste of onions and chickpeas creates a thick gravy, and the final dish is simmered until fragrant. It serves 4 to 6 people and takes about 50 minutes to prepare.

Spicy Channa Masala

Ingredients

  • 2 black cardamom pods
  • 3 cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin seed
  • 1/4 teaspoon fennel seed
  • 1/2 inch cinnamon
  • 2 pieces mace
  • 1 star anise
  • 1 teaspoon mango powder
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 2 cups chickpeas
  • 2 black tea bags
  • salt
  • 3 tablespoons oil
  • 1 onion
  • 3 -5 green chilies
  • 1 medium tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste

Method

  1. Prepare the onion, green chillies and tomato by chopping them.
  2. Soak the chick peas in water for 6 hrs or overnight, then rinse and cook them with salt and the tea bags.
  3. For canned chickpeas, drain and rinse them, then add 1 cup of water and 2 teabags and cook on low heat until they absorb the tea flavour and colour.
  4. Roast the first seven spices listed and then grind them.
  5. Mix this ground spice blend with the coriander powder, mango powder and chilli powder.
  6. Place 1 tbs of oil in a pan, add the combined spices and cook on low heat for a few minutes before setting aside.
  7. Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions and green chillies until the onions become a soft golden brown.
  8. Stir in the ginger garlic paste and fry for a few minutes, then add the tomatoes and fry until they soften.
  9. Take 3 tbs of the cooked chickpeas and 3 tbs of the cooked onion mixture and grind them together into a fine paste.
  10. Combine the cooked chickpeas, the ground spice mix, the ground chickpea and onion paste, and the fried onion and green chilli mixture in a pan, adding 1/2 cup of water if the masala seems dry.
  11. Cover the pan, reduce the heat and allow the curry to simmer until the oil separates and the raw aroma disappears.
  12. Move the chole to a serving dish and garnish with onion, coriander leaves and lemon wedges to serve.

Nutrition (per serving)

Sodium386600 mg

Recipe details

CategoryCurries
Cuisineindian
AuthorNeelakumari