June 14, 2017 by dassana amit 120 Comments

chana masala recipe, how to make south indian chana masala recipe

Name: chana masala recipe
Prep time: 540 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 570 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 cup dried white chickpeas ((kabuli chana or chole or safed chana) OR 180 grams of dried white chickpeas); 3 cups water for pressure cooking the chana; ½ teaspoon salt; ¾ to 1 cup fresh grated coconut; 1 inch cinnamon ((dalchini)); ½ tablespoon fennel ((saunf)); ½ tablespoon cumin seeds ((jeera)); 1 tablespoon coriander seeds ((sabut dhania)); 2 dry red chilies ((sookhi lal mirch) - 3 or 4 chilies would make the dish spicy); 2 to 3 cloves ((lavang)); 1 black cardamom ((badi elachi)); 2 green cardamom ((chotti elachi)); 4 to 5 whole black pepper ((sabut kali mirch)); 1 small piece of stone flower (dagad phool) (- optional); 3 tablespoon oil; 1 small tej patta ((indian bay leaf)); ½ teaspoon mustard seeds ((rai)); 10 to 12 curry leaves ((kadi patta)); 1 green chili (hari mirch) (- slit); 50 grams onion (OR 1 medium onion OR ⅓ cup chopped onion); 80 grams tomatoes (OR 1 medium tomato OR about ½ cup chopped tomato); ¼ or ½ teaspoon turmeric powder ((haldi)); 1 pinch asafoetida ((hing)); ½ inch ginger + 2-3 garlic (- crushed or made into a paste in mortar-pestle OR about 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste (adrak lahsun ka paste)); 1 cup stock (OR stock+water); 2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves for garnishing ((dhania patta)); salt as required

chana masala recipe with step by step photos – spicy and delicious south indian chana masala curry made with coconut. in this chana masala the real flavor comes from the coconut and whole spices. you can actually get a distinct taste of coconut. there is a subtle sweetness and this chana masala is not sour or tangy.

this spicy chana masala goes well with rice, roti, paratha or poori. it can even go very well with bhature (leavened fried breads). if you are fond of chole bhature then you can consider serving this chana masala recipe with the homemade bhatura.

chana masala is a regular dish at home. i make varieties of chole recipes. few of the popular north indian style tasty chana varieties you can try are:

however my all time favorite north indian chana masala is this authentic and flavorsome punjabi chana masala, which is one of the most tried and tested chana masala recipe on the blog. the recipe gives a good balance of spiciness, taste and flavor. it taste like the chole you get in the streets of delhi and punjab.

the recipe posted here is a south indian version of chana masala. so as the name suggests, this chana masala recipe has south indian flavors. basically in this recipe, all the ingredients which are commonly used in south indian cooking are added, with grated coconut being one of the main ingredient.

in the punjabi style or north indian chana masala, onions, tomatoes, spices and dry pomegranate seeds or dry mango powder, make the masala paste and give a spicy and slight sour taste to the chana or chole recipe. apart from the above ingredients, garam masala powder or chole masala is also added to the punjabi chana masala recipe.

i make this spicy chana masala, with mildly hot 2 red chilies for a low spiced version at times. and on occasions, i add 4 dry red chilies to make it spicy. so you can vary the amount of red chilies as per your taste, spice preference and the quality of red chilies. the same chana masala recipe can also be made with black chickpeas, potato or green peas. there are few more south indian style delicious chana recipes on blog like:

kadala curry (made with black chickpeas from kerala cuisine)
sukhe chole (dry chana curry made with white chickpeas)
tindora chana masala (from mangalorean cuisine)

serve chana masala hot with pooris or naan or kulcha or chapatis or plain paratha or bhatura or aloo paratha or bread or steamed rice accompanied with lemon and onion slices.

if you are looking for more curry recipes then do check rajma masala, paneer butter masala, dum aloo, kadai mushroom and chole paneer recipe.

chana masala recipe below:

4.42 from 24 votes

chana masala recipe

Prep Time

9 hr

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

9 hr 30 mins

chana masala recipe - spicy south indian chickpea curry with coconut.

Course: main

Cuisine: south indian

Servings: 4

Author: dassana amit

Ingredients (1 cup = 250 ml)

for pressure cooking chana or chickpeas:

1 cup dried white chickpeas (kabuli chana or chole or safed chana) OR 180 grams of dried white chickpeas
3 cups water for pressure cooking the chana
½ teaspoon salt

for roasting masala:

¾ to 1 cup fresh grated coconut
1 inch cinnamon (dalchini)
½ tablespoon fennel (saunf)
½ tablespoon cumin seeds (jeera)
1 tablespoon coriander seeds (sabut dhania)
2 dry red chilies (sookhi lal mirch) - 3 or 4 chilies would make the dish spicy
2 to 3 cloves (lavang)
1 black cardamom (badi elachi)
2 green cardamom (chotti elachi)
4 to 5 whole black pepper (sabut kali mirch)
1 small piece of stone flower (dagad phool) - optional

other ingredients for chana masala:

3 tablespoon oil
1 small tej patta (indian bay leaf)
½ teaspoon mustard seeds (rai)
10 to 12 curry leaves (kadi patta)
1 green chili (hari mirch) - slit
50 grams onion OR 1 medium onion OR ⅓ cup chopped onion
80 grams tomatoes OR 1 medium tomato OR about ½ cup chopped tomato
¼ or ½ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
½ inch ginger + 2-3 garlic - crushed or made into a paste in mortar-pestle OR about 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste (adrak lahsun ka paste)
1 cup stock OR stock+water
2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves for garnishing (dhania patta)
salt as required

How to make recipe

cooking chana:

first rinse the 1 cup chana (dried chickpeas) for a couple of times in water. then soak the chana in enough water overnight or for 8 to 9 hours.
drain the water. rinse the chana again for a couple of times.
again drain and add the soaked chana in a pressure cooker.
add 1/2 tsp salt. add 3 cups water.
stir and pressure cook the chana for 18 to 20 whistles on medium to high flame.
if cooking chana in a pot, then add about 3.5 to 4 cups water with salt to the chana. cover and cook the chana till they softened.

preparing the masala:

when the chana are cooking, you can roast the spices. in a pan or skillet, on a low flame dry roast the spices mentioned under the "roasting the masala" list, till they become fragrant. roast all spices except coconut.
then add 1/2 cup tightly packed grated coconut to the spices and begin to roast.
stir continuously while roasting the coconut, so that there is uniform browning.
roast till the coconut become golden. remove the pan and allow the this mixture to cool.
once the coconut-spice mixture is cooled, add them to wet grinder. remove the husk from the black cardamom and just add its seeds in the grinder.
add 2/3 to 3/4 cup water and grind to a smooth paste. keep aside.

making chana masala gravy or curry:

heat 3 tbsp oil in a pan.
add ½ tsp mustard seeds and allow them to crackle.
then add tejpatta and stir.
add 1/3 cup chopped onion.
stir and saute till the onions turn translucent and soften.
then add 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste, 1/4 tsp turmeric power, a pinch of asafoetida and 10-12 curry leaves.
stir and saute till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic disappears.
add 1/2 cup chopped tomato. saute for about 2 to 3 minutes till the tomatoes soften.
add the ground masala paste. stir very well.
then add the drained chana. stir again well and saute for a minute.
now add 1 cup stock or stock+water and 1 or 2 slit green chilies.
season with salt as required. do keep a check on salt as the stock already has salt.
give a boil and then simmer for 12-15 minutes on a low to medium flame or more till the chana masala gravy thickens a bit and you see some oil floating on top.
mash a few chana with the sides of the spoon to thicken the chana masala gravy. check the seasoning and add more salt as per your taste.
switch off the flame & lastly add 2 tbsp coriander leaves. stir chana masala gravy well.
serve chana masala hot with pooris, chapatis, bread or steamed rice accompanied with lemon & onion slices.

lets start step by step chana masala recipe:

1. first rinse 1 cup chana (dried chickpeas) for a couple of times in water. then soak the chickpeas in enough water overnight or for 8 to 9 hours. below is a pic of soaked chickpeas.

2. drain the water. rinse the chana again for a couple of times.

3. again drain and add the soaked chana in a pressure cooker.

4. add ½ tsp salt.

5. add 3 cups water.

6. stir and pressure cook the chana for 18 to 20 whistles on medium to high flame. the chickpeas should be completely cooked and have a melt in mouth consistency.

7. when the chana are cooking, you can prepare the masala. here are the spices that we will roast first – ½ tbsp fennel, ½ tbsp cumin seeds, 1 small piece of stone flower/dagad phool (optional), 4 to 5 black peppercorns, 2 green cardamoms, 2-3 cloves, 1 tbsp coriander seeds, 1 black cardamom, 1 inch cinnamon, 2 dry red chilies. for a spicy chana, add about 3 to 4 dry red chilies. the amount of red chilies to be added depends on heat quotient in the chilies. so if you use red chilies which have a high heat quotient, then just 1 or 2 dry red chilies would be fine.

8. in a pan or skillet, on a low flame dry roast the spices till they become fragrant.

9. then add ½ cup tightly packed grated coconut to the spices and begin to roast.

10. stir continuously while roasting the coconut, so that there is uniform browning.

11. roast till the coconut become golden. remove the pan and allow the this mixture to cool.

12. once the coconut-spice mixture is cooled, add them to a wet grinder jar. remove the husk from the black cardamom and just add its seeds in the grinder.

13. add about ⅔ to ¾ cup water and grind to a smooth paste. keep aside.

making chana masala gravy:

14. heat 3 tbsp oil in a pan.

15. add ½ tsp mustard seeds and allow them to crackle.

16. then add 1 tejpatta and stir.

17. add ⅓ cup chopped onion.

18. stir and saute till the onions turn translucent and soften.

19. then add 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste, ¼ tsp turmeric power, a pinch of asafoetida and 10-12 curry leaves.

20. stir and saute till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic disappears.

21. add ½ cup chopped tomato.

22. saute for about 2 to 3 minutes till the tomatoes soften.

23. add the ground masala paste.

24. stir very well.

25. then add the drained chana. reserve the stock.

26. stir again well and saute for a minute.

27. now add 1 cup stock or stock+water and 1 or 2 slit green chilies.

28. season with salt as required. do keep a check on salt as the stock already has salt.

29. give a boil and then simmer the gravy on a low to medium flame for 12-15 minutes or more till the chana masala gravy thickens a bit and you see some oil floating on top. mash a few chickpeas with the sides of the spoon to thicken the chana masala gravy. check the seasoning and add more salt as per your taste. add more water if required.

30. lastly, switch off the flame & lastly add 2 tbsp coriander leaves. stir well.

31. serve chana masala hot with pooris or naan or tandoori rotis or chapatis or bhatura or aloo paratha or kerala parotta or bread or steamed rice accompanied with lemon and onion slices.

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