Chhole/Chana Masala (Curried Chickpeas)
A spicy, tangy and delicious chickpea recipe from Alberta-based food blogger Michelle Peters-Jones and thetiffinbox.ca
Servings 4 cups (1 L)
Calories 225
Ingredients
Recipe
- 1 Tbsp (15 mL) canola oil
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 1 -inch (2.5 cm) piece fresh ginger, grated
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 hot green chillies, chopped
- 1 cup (250 mL) ripe red tomato purée (see notes)
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) hot water
- 1 can (19 oz/540 mL) chickpeas, drained & rinsed (yields 2 cups/500 mL cooked)
Spice Mix
- 1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) ground coriander
- 1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) garam masala
- 1 tsp (5 mL) ground cumin
- 1 tsp (5 mL) ground turmeric
- 1 tsp (5 mL) dried mango powder (amchur)
- 1/2 tsp (2 mL) hot chilli powder or to taste
- 1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground cloves
Garnish
- 1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) chaat masala (see notes) MDH or Everest brand, or make your own
- large handful fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
Instructions
- In a heavy pot, heat the oil, then add the diced onions. Cook, stirring, for about 7-8 minutes on a medium heat, until the onions soften and just start to colour.
- Add the grated ginger, garlic and chopped chillies. Stir.
- Add the spice mix to the pot, and cook on a gentle heat, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes.
- Add the tomato purée and about 1/2 cup (125 mL) hot water. Add the chickpeas. Stir together, then cook on a low heat for about 5-20 minutes, until you can no longer feel the rawness of the spices.
- Take off the heat, and whisk in the chaat masala and sprinkle the chopped cilantro on top to serve.
- This chhole masala goes well with rice, naan, pulao and aloo tikkis.
Notes
- You can make tomato purée by blanching about 2 large, ripe tomatoes in hot water, then peeling the skins off and seeding them. Blend in a blender till puréed. The amount of purée depends on the size of your tomatoes, so you may have to add one more tomato, if necessary.
- For convenience, you can substitute 1 cup (250 mL) strained tomatoes, available at Italian stores, or 1 cup (250 mL) plain tomato sauce instead of the fresh puréed tomatoes.
- This recipe makes a lot of sauce, so you can increase the amount of chickpeas up to 800 mL (2 - 400 mL cans) if desired.
- Recipe and photo courtesy of thetiffinbox.ca.
Nutrition
Serving Size: 1cup (250 mL) | Calories: 225 | Total Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Carbohydrate: 35g | Fibre: 7g | Sugars: 10g | Protein: 10g | Sodium: 527mg | Potassium: 637mg | Iron: 4mg