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This Punjabi Chana Masala or Chole Masala is an authentic North Indian style Chickpea Curry made with white chickpeas, freshly powdered spices, onions, tomatoes and herbs.
Chana masala is a naturally vegan recipe with added health benefits of the chickpeas which are packed full of protein, minerals and fiber.
In this post, I am sharing 2 super delicious chana masala recipes.
- Authentic Punjabi Chana Masala – Made in a pan on the stovetop with freshly ground spices.
- Instant Pot Chana Masala (Home Style) – One pot, super easy and does not require the special chana masala spice blend or powder.
Both the recipes are shared with step by step photos and taste awesome. So you can make either of them depending upon the gadgets and time you have.
Table of Contents
- What is Chana Masala?
- About this Chole Masala Recipe
- Soaking Chickpeas
- Tips for Chana Recipe
- How to make Chana Masala (Stepwise Photos)
- Recipe Card for Chana Masala | Indian Chickpea Curry
- About Instant Pot Chana Masala
- Step-by-step Instant Pot Chickpea Curry
- Recipe Card for Instant Pot Chana Masala Recipe
What is Chana Masala?
Chana Masala is a popular Indian dish of white chickpeas in a spicy and tangy gravy. In North India, chana masala is called as ‘chole masala’ or simply ‘chole’.
Both the words “Chana” and “Chole” refer to chickpeas. In Hindi language, the word “Masala” means a mixture of spices. In chana masala – specifically the word ‘masala’ means a mixture of ground spices.
There are many variations of making chana masala, but I like the Punjabi chana recipe shared here the most. It tastes like the chana masala you get in the streets of Delhi and Punjab.
Across India, chickpea curries are made in various styles. Of the many chickpea curry recipes I have shared, majority of them are vegan or can easily be veganized.
More Indian chickpea curries for you!
About this Chole Masala Recipe
This chickpea curry recipe was originally inspired and adapted from Anita’s blog and posted in 2009. Yes, over ten years ago!
Since the original posting, I have continued to perfect the recipe, making changes in proportions as well as ingredients.
The result is this recipe, which gives a chana masala that has a good balance of spiciness, taste and flavor. In the process, I also updated the pictures in the post and added a video.
This is one easy and yet lip smacking Punjabi chana masala recipe which tastes awesome. It is one of the most tried and tested delicious chickpea curry recipes on the blog. It has been made innumerable times by me as well as by many readers.
This chana masala recipe reminds me of Chole Bhature, which is our favorite dish. Chole Bhature is a Punjabi chickpea curry dish that is served with a fried leavened puffed bread known as “Bhature”.
When living in Delhi and Gurgaon, we would get awesome chole bhature in many places.
Since I do not live in these places any more, I would crave for the street style chole bhature and this chana masala curry fits in perfectly.
It tastes exactly like the North Indian street side chickpea curry, minus the heat, since we don’t prefer our food to be too spicy.
However if you prefer spicier food, increase the quantity of red chili powder, green chillies and garam masala powder to get the extra spice and heat.
Soaking Chickpeas
While making any chickpea or Rajma (Kidney Bean Curry), it is always better to soak the chickpeas overnight or at least for 8 hours as then it is easier to cook them.
Soaking beans or chickpeas reduce the phytic acid which causes bloating and flatulence.
Pro Tip: If you have forgotten to soak the chickpeas, then add the chickpeas to hot boiled water. Cover and soak for 1 to 2 hours.
I would always suggest to soak chickpeas and not directly cook the dried chickpeas.
Soaking also reduces the cooking time and ensures that the chickpeas are really softened well. This not only gives a good texture but the chickpeas also become easy to digest.
Tips for Chana Recipe
- Dried Amla (Dried Indian Gooseberry) and Dry Pomegranate Seeds: The dried amla gives a dark color to the chole, along with a light tang. The pomegranate seeds give a sour taste. Find these ingredients at Indian specialty food stores or online at amazon.com.
- If you cannot find these ingredients, add dry mango powder (amchur powder) towards the end. In the absence of amchur powder, you can also squeeze some lime juice towards the end.
- You can also use a black tea bag to achieve the darker color. If you are not fussy about the dark color, then just cook the chickpeas in water with some salt.
- Chana Masala Spices: what contributes to the flavors and aroma of this dish are the freshly ground chole masala spices. The whole spices are roasted until they get extra browned and are later ground. This chole masala spice powder is then blended with a sautéed onion-ginger-tomato mixture. that makes the chickpea curry more flavorful.
Serving Suggestions for Chana Masala
As I have explained earlier, I prefer my chana masala served with a poori or roti . Some great options are: tandoori roti, phulka, kulcha, bhatura or naan.
Add some sliced onions and lime and you have the perfect Indian snack. This chana masala also tastes good with plain rice or jeera rice.
How to make Chana Masala
For ease of understanding, I have divided this post into 3 steps.
- Step 1 – soaking and cooking chickpeas
- Step 2 – roasting spices to make chana masala powder
- Step 3 – making chana gravy
Lets begin with step 1 – soaking and pressure cooking chickpeas
1. Wash and soak 1 cup chickpeas (chana or chole) in enough water overnight. Add enough water to take into account that the chickpeas increase in size during soaking. Rinse the soaked chickpeas in water. Rinsed and soaked chickpeas pictured below.
2. To give a dark color to the chickpeas, traditionally dried amla (Indian gooseberries) are added. These also give a faint sourness to the stock. If you do not have dried amla, then add 1 black tea bag. If you do not care about the dark color, then you can also just cook the chickpeas with salt and water.
3. In a pressure cooker add the chickpeas along with the 2 to 3 dried amla pieces or 1 black tea bag. Taj tea bags work very well. Then pour in 2.5 to 3 cups water.
4. Season with ½ tsp salt. Stir very well.
5. Pressure cook the chickpeas for 12 to 15 whistles. The chickpeas should be cooked well and softened. The chickpeas should be soft when you mash it with a spoon. The chickpeas should not give you a bite when you eat it. If you do not have a pressure cooker, then cook the chickpeas in a pot with plenty of water. Depending on the quality of chickpeas, it can take less or more time.
Step 2 – Making chole masala powder
6. Meanwhile, in a pan, take all the whole spices for the chole masala and on a low heat begin to roast them. The spices used for masala are the following:
- 2 black cardamoms
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 3 to 4 peppercorns
- 2 cloves
- 1 medium tej patta (Indian bay leaf)or 2 small tej patta
- ¼ tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- ½ tsp dry pomegranate seeds
- 1 or 2 dry red chilies
7. Stir often and roast the spices until they get extra browned. Don’t burn them, but you have to go beyond a normal roasting point with them. Don’t stop even after they become fragrant, as they need to get more browned than usual.
8. The extra browned and roasted spices are pictured below.
9. Let these roasted spices cool and then grind them finely in a coffee grinder or in a dry grinder.
10. By now the chickpeas are cooked (pictured below). You will see a darker brown shade in the white chickpeas. Remove the amla pieces, which would have softened by now, or the tea bag from the stock and discard them.
Step 3 – Making Chana Masala Gravy
11. Heat 1.5 to 2 tbsp oil in a pan or kadai. Add ½ tsp ginger-garlic paste and sauté until their raw aroma goes away.
12. Then add 1 medium sized finely chopped onion and saute till the onions turn translucent or light brown.
13. Add 1 medium sized finely chopped tomato.
14. Sauté the tomatoes until they soften and the oil starts to leave the sides of the masala.
15. Then add the powdered spices that we made, along with ½ teaspoon red chili powder and ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder.
16. Stir well. Then add 2 to 3 slit green chilies to the onion-ginger-tomato mixture.
17. Add the cooked & drained chickpeas. Reserve the stock.
18. Mix very well.
19. Season with salt as per requirement. Mix again. Keep the addition of salt in check as salt is also there in the stock.
20. Add about 1 to 1.25 cups of the reserved stock or water. Stir well.
21. Cover and simmer on a low to medium flame. You can also cook chickpeas without the lid. The gravy will thicken and reduce. Mash a few chickpeas. This will help thicken the chickpea curry. You can keep the consistency you prefer. At home, we prefer chole with a bit of gravy.
22. If you have not added dry pomegranate seeds while roasting the spices, then you need to add amchur powder (dry mango powder) now. About 1 teaspoon amchur powder is enough. However, you can add less or more of it as per your taste. Stir the gravy very well.
23. The chana masala is ready to be served.
24. Garnish with chopped onions and cilantro (coriander leaves). Serve the Punjabi chole with a fried Indian breads like bhatura or poori, along with sliced onions, ginger julienne and lime wedges. This chickpea curry also tastes good with plain rice or cumin rice.
This recipe post is from the archives (August 2009) and has been republished and updated on 6th June 2020.
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By Dassana Amit
Ingredients
for pressure cooking white chickpeas
- 1 cup / 200 grams dried white chickpeas (garbanzo beans, kabuli chana or safed chole)
- 2.5 to 3 cups water for pressure cooking the chickpeas
- 2 to 3 dried amla or indian gooseberry or 1 black tea bag, optional
- ½ teaspoon salt or add as required
ingredients for gravy
- 1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium sized tomato, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon ginger-garlic paste or 2 to 3 small garlic cloves + ½ inch ginger, crushed to a paste in a mortar-pestle
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder – optional
- ¾ to 1 teaspoon amchur powder (dry mango powder), optional and only to be added when you do not have dry pomegranate seeds
- 2 to 3 green chilies – slit
- 1 to 1.25 cups water or the stock in which the chickpeas were cooked
- 1.5 to 2 tablespoons oil
- salt as required
spices for chole masala powder
- 2 black cardamoms
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 3 to 4 black peppers
- 2 cloves
- 1 medium sized tej patta (indian bay leaf)
- ¼ teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- ½ teaspoon dry pomegranate seeds
- 1 to 2 kashmiri dry red chilies
for garnishing
- some chopped coriander leaves (cilantro leaves)
- ½ inch ginger – julienne
- 1 medium onion sliced or chopped
- 1 medium tomato sliced or chopped
- 1 lime or lemon, sliced or quartered
Instructions
soaking and cooking white chickpeas
- Rinse and soak the chickpeas in enough water overnight. Add enough amount of water as the chickpeas increase in size after soaking it. Rinse the soaked chickpeas.
- To give a dark color to the chickpeas, traditionally dried amla (indian gooseberries) are added. These also give a faint sourness to the stock. If you do not have dried amla, then add 1 black tea bag.
- In a pressure cooker add the chickpeas along with the 3 to 4 dried amla pieces or 1 black tea bag. Taj tea bags work very well. Then add water
- Season with salt and pressure cook the chickpeas for 12 to 15 whistles. The chickpeas should be cooked well and softened. The chickpeas should be soft when you mash it with a spoon. The chickpeas should not give you a bite when you eat it.
roasting spices
- In a pan, take all the whole spices for the chole masala powder mentioned above and on a low heat begin to roast them.
- Stir often and roast the spices till they get extra browned. Don’t burn them. You have to go beyond a point roasting them even after they become fragrant and they get more browned than what is the norm usually.
- Let these roasted spices cool and then grind them finely in a coffee grinder or in a dry grinder.
- By now the chana will be cooked. You will see a darker brown shade in the safed (white chana). Remove the amla pieces which would have softened by now or the tea bag from the stock.
making chole masala
- Heat oil in a pan or kadai. Add ginger-garlic paste and saute till their raw aroma goes away.
- Then add chopped onions and saute till the onions turn translucent or light brown.
- Add tomatoes & saute them till they soften and the oil starts to leave the sides of the masala.
- Then add the powdered chole masala that we ground, along with the red chili powder, turmeric powder & garam masala powder (optional).
- Stir the dry masala and then add slit green chilies
- Add the cooked chole. Stir well.
- Add salt. Then add about 1 to 1.25 cups of the stock in which the chana was boiled. You can also add water instead.
- Stir and cover the chana.
cooking chole masala
- Simmer on a low to medium flame. You can also cook without the lid.
- The gravy will thicken and reduce. Mash a few chickpeas. This will help thicken the gravy.
- Simmer till you get the consistency you prefer. The consistency of this chickpea curry is not thin, but medium consistency or dry.
- If you have not added dry pomegranate seeds while roasting the spices, then you need to add amchur powder (dry mango powder) now. Stir the gravy well.
- Garnish it with coriander leaves & ginger julienne.
- Serve the Punjabi chana masala with kulchas, bhaturas, pooris, rotis, along with sliced onions, tomatoes and lime.
- This Chickpea Curry also tastes good with steamed rice or jeera rice.
Video
Notes
- If you don’t have amchur (dry mango powder) or dried pomegranate seeds then add lime or lemon juice toward the end.
- You can also use canned chickpeas and add them once the tomatoes are sautéed.
- You can skip making the chana masala powder from scratch and add 2 to 3 tablespoons of packaged chana masala powder instead.
Cooking chickpeas in the pan or pot then:
- You have to take enough water in the pot while cooking the chickpeas. It takes a lot of time though. For 1.5 to 2 cups of soaked & drained chickpeas, you can take about 5-6 cups of water.
- Adding a pinch of baking soda in the water along with salt, also helps in the cooking process and the chickpeas become really soft when cooked.
- You can add about 1 teaspoons of salt. A little less salt is also alright. I usually add less salt.
- Cover the pot and cook the chickpeas. If the water starts to become frothy, then remove the lid and cook chickpeas for some minutes. Remove the scum if there is any while cooking the chickpeas.
Nutrition Info Approximate values
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About Instant Pot Chana Masala
This Chana Masala recipe is one pot, super easy and does not require the special chana masala spice blend or powder.
You also don’t need to make this spice blend at home, as is done in Punjabi Chana Masala recipe shared above. The recipe is also gluten-free and vegan.
This is again my mother in law’s homely chickpea curry recipe that is so good when served with rice or had with naan or roti or poori (Indian fried bread). Since this recipe also happens to be our favorite chickpea curry, I often end up making this one at home in the Instant Pot.
This home style Punjabi chana masala recipe is simple in the sense that everything including the chickpeas are cooked together in the IP. Later everything is simmered till you get a medium consistency in the gravy. The recipe is also not spicy.
There is one special aromatic spice that is added to this chana masala gravy. Guess?
No, it is not black cardamoms or cloves or cinnamon. It is carom seed (ajwain or omam). Carom seeds also help in digestion. Now if you do not have carom seeds, kindly skip them altogether and the instant pot chickpea curry will still taste good.
Serve Instant Pot Chana Masala with finely chopped onions, green chilli and lemon wedges with a side of bread, dinner rolls, naan bread, roti, poori or steamed rice.
Topping with chopped onions or lemon juice on the chickpea curry really adds a lot of taste.
Step-by-step Instant Pot Chickpea Curry
1. Rinse and then soak 1 cup dried white chickpeas overnight or for 8 to 9 hours in enough water. Rinse the soaked chickpeas in running water for a couple of times. Drain all the water and keep aside.
2. Switch on the IP and press the sauté button setting the time to 12 minutes on normal mode.
3. Heat oil. Let the oil become hot (but not sizzling or smoking hot). Add the whole spices – 1 inch cinnamon, 6 cloves, 1 tej patta (indian bay leaf), 2 black cardamoms, 1 teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain) and 1 teaspoon cumin seeds.
4. Let the spices crackle and splutter.
5. Then add ½ cup finely chopped onions.
6. Mix and begin to sauté the onions.
7. Sauté till the onions turn translucent.
8. Now add 2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger, 2 teaspoons finely garlic and 2 to 3 slit green chillies.
9. Sauté for about 6 to 7 seconds. While sautéing, if the ingredients start sticking or the heat is too much, then reduce the sauté setting to low. Alternatively you can sprinkle some water and deglaze the pan.
10. Add 1 cup finely chopped tomatoes.
11. Mix well and begin to sauté the tomatoes. If the tomatoes start sticking, then sprinkle some water. Mix and continue to sauté.
12. Sauté till tomatoes soften and become pulpy.
13. Add the spice powders – ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and 1 teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder. If you do not have kashmiri red chilli powder, then add 1 teaspoon sweet paprika or ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper or ½ teaspoon red chilli powder.
14. Mix very well and sauté for 3 to 4 seconds.
15. Add soaked chickpeas.
16. Mix very well and deglaze the pan. Add salt as per taste.
17. Add 3 cups water.
18. Press the cancel button and press the pressure cook button. Select high pressure and set the time for 30 minutes.
19. Once the pressure cooking is complete and after the beep is heard, wait for 12 to 15 minutes or more for natural pressure release (NPR). If steam is there, then lift the valve and do a quick pressure release (QPR). Check to see if the chickpeas are cooked and softened. If the chickpeas are al dente or undercooked, then pressure cook for 5 minutes more. Note that aged or old chickpeas will take a lot of time to cook.
19. Now press the cancel button again and press the sauté button setting the time to 10 minutes on normal mode.
20. Let the curry come to a simmer. Mash a few chickpeas before the curry starts simmering. This helps in thickening the gravy.
21. Simmer till you get the desired gravy consistency (which is neither thin nor very thick).
22. Then add 1 teaspoon garam masala powder and 1 teaspoon dry mango powder. If you do not have dry mango powder, then add ½ to 1 teaspoon lemon juice.
23. Mix well. Simmer for a minute. If the gravy becomes too thick, then add some water.
24. Serve Instant Pot Chana Masala garnished with some coriander leaves (cilantro) with a side of steamed rice, cumin rice, bread, dinner rolls, roti, puri or bhatura. Do serve with a side of some finely chopped onions, lemon wedges and green chillies (optional).
By Dassana Amit
Ingredients
For Soaking Chickpeas
- 1 cup dried white chickpeas (white chana or chole) – soaked overnight
- water as required for soaking
Other Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons oil – sunflower oil, peanut oil or any vegetable oil
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 6 cloves
- 1 tej patta (indian bay leaf)
- 2 black cardamoms
- 1 teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ cup finely chopped onions or 1 medium sized onion, 50 to 60 grams
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
- 2 to 3 green chilies slit or whole – note that keeping the chillies whole won't make the chana masala spicy.
- 1 cup finely chopped tomatoes or 2 medium-sized tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon kashmir red chilli powder or deghi mirch or 1 teaspoon sweet paprika or ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 cups water
- salt as required
- 1 teaspoon garam masala powder or punjabi garam masala powder
- 1 teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur powder) or add as required
- 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
serving suggestions
- some sliced onions
- few lemon wedges
- few green chillies – optional
Instructions
- Rinse and then soak 1 cup chickpeas overnight or for 8 to 9 hours in enough water. Later rinse the soaked chickpeas in running water for a couple of times. Drain all the water and keep aside.
- Switch on the IP and press the sauté button setting the time to 12 minutes on normal mode. Keep all the ingredients ready before you begin.
- Add oil in the steel insert and let it become hot (but not smoking hot).
- Add the cinnamon, cloves, black cardamoms, tej patta, cumin seeds and carom seeds. Let them crackle and splutter.
- Add onions and sauté them till translucent.
- Now add finely chopped ginger, garlic and slit green chillies.
- Sauté for about 6 to 7 seconds. While sautéing, if the ingredients start sticking or the heat is too much, then reduce the sauté setting to low. Alternatively you can sprinkle some water and deglaze.
- Next add chopped tomatoes and sauté till they soften and become pulpy.
- If the tomatoes start sticking, then sprinkle some water. Mix and continue to sauté.
- Add turmeric and kashmiri red chilli powder. Mix very well and sauté for 3 to 4 seconds.
- Add soaked chickpeas. Mix very well and deglaze the pan. Then add salt as per taste.
- Add water and deglaze the pan if required.
- Press the cancel button and press the pressure cook button. Select high pressure and set the time for 30 minutes.
- Once the pressure cooking is complete and after the beep is heard, wait for 12 to 15 minutes or more for natural pressure release (NPR). If steam is there, then lift the valve and do a quick pressure release (QPR). Check to see if the chickpeas are cooked and softened. If the chickpeas are undercooked, then pressure cook for 5 more minutes.
- Now press the cancel button again and press the sauté button setting the time to 10 minutes on normal mode.
- Let the curry come to a simmer. Mash a few chickpeas before the curry starts simmering. This helps in thickening the gravy.
- Simmer till you get the desired gravy consistency (which is neither thin nor very thick but medium or slightly thick consistency). Then add garam masala powder and dry mango powder. If you do not have dry mango powder, then add ½ to 1 teaspoon lemon juice.
- Mix well and Simmer for a minute. If the gravy becomes too thick, then add some water.
- Serve Chana Masala garnished with some coriander leaves (cilantro) with a side of steamed rice, cumin rice, bread, dinner rolls, roti, puri or bhatura. Do keep a side of some finely chopped onions, lemon wedges and green chillies.
Notes
- Spicing: You can increase or reduce the spice powders, especially kashmiri red chilli powder. Do not increase the garam masala powder, but you can reduce the quantity. You can even add chana masala powder instead of garam masala powder.
- Chickpeas: Use chickpeas which are fresh and in their shelf period. Avoid using aged or old chickpeas as they do not cook well and take a lot of time.
- Tomatoes: You can use canned tomatoes in the recipe. Crush the canned tomatoes and add 1 cup of it. You can even add ½ cup of tomato puree if you do not have fresh tomatoes.
- Onions: You can use both red onions or white onions.
- Black Cardamoms: There is a slight smoky flavor in the chana masala due to Black Cardamoms. So it an essential ingredient. However, skip if you do not have black cardamoms. The smoky hints won’t be there, but still the chana masala will taste good.
Nutrition Info Approximate values
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All our content & photos are copyright protected. Please do not copy. As a blogger, if you you want to adapt this recipe or make a youtube video, then please write the recipe in your own words and give a clickable link back to the recipe on this url.
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Tried this recipe today, it came out very yummy. Thanks for this awesome recipe !! 😊
Welcome and thanks for the feedback. Glad to know.
Made the chole masala with fresh ground spices today. Was loved by my family and made a mundane Monday lunch superb! Thanks for the recipe – amazing balance to the spices and you have described the steps perfectly.
Thanks a lot for the sharing the lovely feedback and experience. Glad to know.
Best one