Chana masala — Indian curry with chickpeas, tomatoes and aromatic spices

Ingredients (4 servings)

• 500 g dried chickpeas (or 2 cans of cooked chickpeas, about 800 g)
• 2 medium onions
• 3 ripe tomatoes (or 400 g canned tomatoes)
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 piece of fresh ginger (about 3 cm)
• 2 green chillies (optional)
• 4 tablespoons olive oil (or vegetable oil)
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper (paprika)
• 1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
• 500 ml water
• Fresh parsley or coriander for serving
• The juice of half a lemon

Preparation

1. Wash the dried chickpeas well and soak them in water overnight (8–12 hours). Drain them and boil them in salted water for 40–50 minutes, until tender. If you use canned chickpeas, drain and rinse them well.
2. Chop the onions finely, and grate the garlic and ginger. Blend the tomatoes into a purée or cut them into small cubes.
3. Heat the oil in a deep pot, add the cumin seeds and let them “crackle” for 20–30 seconds. Add the onions and fry for 8–10 minutes, until golden.
4. Add the garlic, ginger and chillies and fry for another 2 minutes. Add the ground spices (garam masala, coriander, turmeric, red pepper) and stir for about 30 seconds, until they release their aroma.
5. Add the tomato purée and let it simmer for 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens and the oil rises to the surface.
6. Add the cooked chickpeas and 500 ml of water. Let it simmer on a low heat for 20–25 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the sauce thickens and the chickpeas absorb the spices.
7. Add the salt and the lemon juice, adjust the flavour and serve hot, garnished with fresh coriander (or parsley) — together with basmati rice or naan bread.

Preparation time: ~30 minutes (+ the chickpeas’ soaking/cooking time) | Cooking time: ~45 minutes | Servings: 4

Photo: chana masala — Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 licence, author Billjones94 (Wikimedia Commons).