Chana Masala
Chickpeas that go into the pressure cooker together with onion, tomato and spices and are then mashed into a thick sauce.
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Everything goes into the pressure cooker at once here. Afterwards you mash the cooked onions and tomatoes into a thick sauce, so there is no separate frying.
Dried chickpeas need to soak at least 6 to 8 hours, preferably overnight. Throw the soaking water away and rinse them well.
No pressure cooker? In an ordinary covered pan it takes an hour and a half to two hours. Keep an eye on the liquid.
Spiciness. This is the amount of chilli as it is used in India. For a milder dish, change only these two things: leave out the green chillies and use half the Kashmiri chili powder. The rest of the recipe stays the same.
Tip. Sauce too thin? Mash a few more chickpeas. Too thick? A splash of hot water. Swap the ghee for oil for a vegan version.
Method
- 1
Wash the chickpeas and soak them overnight, or at least 6 to 8 hours. Pour the soaking water away and rinse them well.
- 2
Put the chickpeas in the pressure cooker along with everything from the first list: the onions, the tomatoes, the green chilli, the grated ginger, the whole garlic cloves, the bay leaves, the cinnamon, the black cardamom, the cumin seeds, the ground spices, the salt, 1 tbsp ghee and 700 ml water.
- 3
Stir everything together. Put the lid on and cook over high heat until the first whistle. Then lower the heat and cook another 15 minutes.
- 4
Turn off the heat and let the cooker depressurise by itself. Only open the lid once the pressure is gone.
- 5
Everything has softened now: the tomatoes have collapsed, the garlic is butter-soft and the chickpeas are cooked through but still whole.
- 6
Fish out the tomato skins and discard them. Remove the bay leaves, the cinnamon stick and the black cardamom too.
- 7
Turn the heat back on and bring everything to the boil. Stir well so the tomatoes and onions melt completely into the chickpeas.
- 8
Within a couple of minutes it all comes together. If anything still looks chunky, press it flat with the back of a ladle.
- 9
Mash a few chickpeas as well. That gives the sauce a thicker, more textured consistency.
- 10
Cook another 10 to 15 minutes, stirring now and then. You get a lovely thick sauce without any separate frying.
- 11
Too thick? A splash of hot water. Too thin? Mash a few more chickpeas.
- 12
Add 1 tsp garam masala and a large pinch of kasuri methi, crushed between your hands. Mix, taste and adjust the salt.
- 13
Now make the tadka: heat a small pan with 1 to 2 tbsp ghee.
- 14
Once the ghee is hot, add ½ tsp carom seeds and let them splutter.
- 15
Add the sliced green chilli and the julienned ginger, stir quickly and pour the tadka straight over the chickpeas.
- 16
Stir through fresh chopped coriander. Good with rice or kulcha.
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