I LOVE Indian food. I had it for the first time when I was in culinary school, living in Orlando, and I’ve been rather obsessed ever since. For some reason (like most things) Indian food never tastes as good when you make it yourself. I see that as a challenge.
Welcome to my kitchen. Listen up.
First, heat up about two tbsp of butter in your cast iron skillet.
Yes, butter. Don’t try to substitute this out because its crucial to the finished product. I’M WATCHING YOU.
Once the butter has sufficiently melted, dump in one chopped yellow onion.
Toss well so the onions are thoroughly coated with the good stuff. Your heat should be at medium right now.
Now this is the first very important step. You must execute patience and grace or your channa masala will suffer indefinitely. You are to let the onions caramelize. This will take about 15 minutes and you probably will get very nervous and antsy while the onions cook because if they burn….you lose.
You must let the onions go from this:
To this:
Excellence takes time, my friends. Patience is a virtue.
While the onions are cooking (you probably want to reduce the heat to more medium low now), smash and chop two fat cloves of garlic,
a one inch knob of ginger,
and a seeded jalapeno pepper.
Check on your onions.
They aren’t there yet.
But, once they ARE there (see a few photos up), add your ginger, garlic and jalapeno to the mix
And then add about three tbsp of tomato paste. I have a secret when it comes to tomato paste. I freeze it.
I dare you to show me a person who uses the whole can of tomato paste in any one recipe that they make. Usually they use about two or three tablespoons and the rest goes in the trash. My method is to scoop the extra paste from the can into a little plastic baggie and then freeze. When you need a tablespoon just break off what you need (it melts quickly) and throw it in frozen to your recipe. Bang!
Now I need to talk for a second about this step because if the onions were number one most crucial, the tomato paste is a close second. This is the base of all the flavor for the whole dish right now and most people mess it up. But not you because in a second you will be a pince champ (pronounced pinc-AY). All pince really means is to cook the tomato paste down, thus intensifying the flavors immensely. No pince = bland and boring. THIS IS IMPORTANT.
Once you add the tomato paste to the pan, stir so that all the onions are coated well.
Flatten down everything on the bottom of the pan, crank the heat to more of a high/medium and set away. That’s right, you heard me, step away from the stove. To properly pince means you need to let the tomato paste cook and brown up a bit. This is going to burn off all the sugar in the tomato and leave you with a really intense delicious flavor.
How do you know when its done?
You look for the crust.
After a few minutes a crust will start to appear on the bottom of your pan. No, you did not burn anything. You did good! Also, it will start to smell like pizza. There’s just no other way I can describe this. You’ll know what I mean when you do it.
Now it’s time for the spice. Add one tablespoon coriander
1 tsp tumeric
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne (I use 1/2 tsp but I like it HOT)
And one tsp cumin
Stir well. The mixture should now seem pretty dry but do not fear!
And one can of chopped tomatoes in the juice
As well as two 15 ounce cans of chickpeas (rinsed, please!)
Stir, baby, stir.
And then add 1 tsp garam masala
And a sprinkle of sea salt and squeeze of lemon….you’re done!
Mine turned out super duper extreme spicy because I used 1/2 tsp cayenne. I don’t recommend this if you are sane, which clearly I am not. I will probably stir some plain yogurt in it before I serve it tonight or else I might not make it.
Here’s the whole recipe, one more time.
Channa Masala
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 15 ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 inch knob ginger, peeled and chopped
1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
3 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 lemon
1 tbsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp garam masala
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp tumeric
2 tbsp butter
Directions:
In a large cast iron skillet, heat the butter. Once melted, add the onions and cook for about 15 minutes on medium low heat, or until golden brown.
Once the onions have caramelized, add the garlic, ginger and jalapeno and stir well. Cook for about two minutes or until it starts to smell like heaven on earth.
Add the tomato paste and pince, using above photos as an example. This is very important and if you don’t do it right your dish is pretty much doomed. No pressure.
Add the coriander, cumin, cayenne and tumeric and stir well. Then add the diced tomatoes, chickpeas and garam masala.
Cook for about five minutes or until the chickpeas have heated through. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and top with plain yogurt and cilantro if desired!
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{ 165 comments… read them below or add one }
I adore chana masala! It’s become a regular on my rotation of go-to meals because 1) it’s so frickin easy and 2) it is unbelievably delicious!
I don’t use tomato paste but I do use a few more spices so the flavour probably evens out somewhere in the middle.
Mine is always spicy to the extreme as well: I don’t seed my jalapenos. Because I am mental.
Nice how-to! Everyone needs to know how to make this!
I’ve always wanted to make indian food at home but have been scared! THis post definitely encouraged me.
Homemade Indian is always so much better if you use whole spices (whole coriander and cumin seeds, etc), toast them first, then grind them yourself. I know it’s kind of a pain and more time consuming, but it is that much more delicious. Also, I add my spices in with my onions which makes it that much more fragrant. And if you love the heat, which I know you do, use whole chiles! So spicy, so delicious.
This is great! I had one bad experience with Indian food when I was trying to be brave (and at the time I wasn’t a vegetarian) and open my taste buds a little bit and I have been scared ever since. However, since discovering food blogs it seems like you can find good, healthy, vegetarian options. I have seen this on other food blogs before but always from a restaurant so thanks for doing a homemade version! I will for sure try this soon!
I love this post! Indian is always so intimidating but this looks amazing!!
This looks awesome! I love the idea of freezing the tomato paste from the can–so much more cost effective!
Thank you for this wonderful step by step recipe post. I can not wait to try it at home!!
Channa masala is one of those dishes that I always think sounds delicious, but never make. I really need to get some spices so I can give it a try.
I love all your “real” cooking knowledge!! (I use a whole can of tomato paste for marinara sauce- but that’s when I’m cheating
great tip though!)
Yum I have to try this, I LOVE indian food!
Looove Indian food, especially channa masala. I usually don’t put so much effort into it though. I just throw a bunch of stuff together and call it a meal.
Looks delicious and I totally agree about the caramelization of the onions. Gives it so much flavor!
Yum – thanks for the recipe and the tips. Also great idea re: the tomato paste!! Clever!!! I hope to try this recipe soon!
will you have a heart attack if I use vegan butter? lol
Did you love it? It looks so good. I, too, am OBSESSED with Indian food. My kids and I made naan the other day and it was pretty good, but not as good as the naan from my fave restaurant. I’m definitely going to try this recipe. Thanks so much!
I like this idea of step by step recipe posts!
I love the idea of this post and series!
I like this idea of new step by step recipe posts!
um, awesome. i am making this the second i have some canned tomatoes, which is DEFINITELY this week
That looks REALLY good!! Can’t wait to try it
Printing it out NOW!
I do the same with tomato paste – works great!
YUM I have actually been looking for this exact recipe for some time now! & your technique tips are great because otherwise I would be clueless! However, I do have a question. You say to use butter, but is the final product different if you use oil instead? I am really not a butter fan (I know, crazy!) so I never have it in my house.
Thanks!
I am obviously not jenna, but my tried and true method for chana masala uses olive oil, not butter and its awesome!
oh great, gracias!
coconut oil is awesome with indian, too!
One word: GHEE. It’s not Indian food unless it’s made with Ghee.
Or if you can’t find ghee, clarified butter… also, if you want to go the ghee way, for vegetarians/vegans you can get vegetable based ghee, but I know many places in India I’ve visited use oil instead. But they also fry the spices in with the onions to get them really aromatic
Yep, I agree on the frying of spices in the pan with the onions. Or even better, before anything else goes in, you “toast” the spices in the pan. It really heightens and deepens the flavor. I didn’t know there was vegetarian ghee- I have to check that out!
What a great post!! Thanks for sharing! It looks delicious!!!
Looks amazing!
Your photos are gorgeous today!
This looks delicious! And a lot easier than I thought it would be!
This looks amazing and do-able! Can’t wait to try!
Oh my dear goodness…I realize it’s not the most profound thing ever done, but I still think you are a genius for freezing tomato paste. Seriously. I guarantee you no one has ever used the full can in a recipe. And then it sits, lonely and most likely rotting, in your fridge…or the trash can. I freeze just about everything else to buy myself time…why have I never frozen tomato paste!?
Ahhhhhhh thank you.
The new Ms. Julia Child!
Inventive idea for your blog Jenna! You’ll inspire me to actually cook…said while eating out of tub of ice cream…
oh and I want your kitchen…
Ahhhh, yum! I love chickpea masala!! One of my favorite dishes, and so easy to make!
Love it! Great post
Awesome, Jenna! I will have my own kitchen soon, and I totally plan on making this – and your turkey chili! Thanks for the great recipes.
I think I might be making this tonight. Yay for challenges!
That looks perfect- what a great way to celebrate Indian Food Wednesday;)
That looks delicious! I love spicy too.
When I moved into my last apartment, what I missed the most was NOT the dishwasher (I lived alone) but the disposal. Those things are great!
Now I live somewhere with both.
Definitely going to try this. I love your pictorial recipes-keep them coming! I had an Amy’s frozen meal for lunch today-coincidentally, it was the Mattar Paneer with Channa Masala! When you make this do you serve it with anything? Such as over rice or maybe just naan on the side?
This looks really good, I LOVE Indian food and keep wanting to make it myself, maybe this weekend?
Check your grocery store. I keep tomato paste in a tube. It’s great for using a little bit. The only thing I ever use a whole can for is my tomato sauce, otherwise, it goes to waste, which is why I keep a tube on hand.
This looks awesome! You should do more step by step recipe posts like this – I LOVE them!
Great post! I have never had Indian before and now I want to give it a try!
This looks SO good!! I love indian food, but Ive never considered making it from scratch. It always seemed too hard! I usually buy some type of pre mixed spice packet.
Love the step by step with pix. That will be fun when later do as video, too. Both a great idea. Thanks for the recipe, which sounds very healthy. Freezing the tomato paste a terrific idea. Will make tomorrow night as went for a gonzo walk/hike around Carmel and found a homemade/gourmet noodle shop…so making a pasta recipe they suggested tonight. Both sound Yum.
This looks amazing – I am trying this recipe within the next week for sure! Thanks for posting
Thanks for this- I really feel like I learned something!
I agree that olive, canola oil or even Earth Balance make good substitutes if you don’t do dairy, butter, animal products, etc.!
I want this. Now.
cooking lesson #3….son loves Indian food, he will be so proud of my cooking talents on this one, lol…..
Genius to freeze the tomato paste!!! Looks delish
What a great walk-through for this lovely Indian dish. Totally making this soon.
I love these episodes- so fun! That dish looks incredible!!
xo
K
Thanks for the recipe! Will give a try this weekend.
Oh my…bookmarked!
Ooh, I’ve wanted to try this recipe for such a long time and this is probably the most straightforward and simple-to-follow version I’ve seen. I’m saving this for a great day of cooking!
I also find it funny that I have almost all of the exact spices you used in the same brands and everything, haha.
And I like to freeze my tomato paste in an ice cube tray in 1 tbsp servings and then pop them out and put them in a bag, that way they’re little pre-measured cubes that work well in recipes.
Amote` Tomato Paste in a tube will last forever in your refridge! You can get this at any grocery store. Use what you need and refridge the rest
I really like the tip on how to keep the tomato paste! I always hate to waste it and have tried to put it in tubberware but it always goes bad. So I will def be fallowing your tip from no on!
Thanks for posting this. I can’t wait to see more of these in the future. Unfortunately, I can’t get a lot of these ingredients in Japan. Next time!
I love this little series. I’ve never had Indian food but definitely want some and may try this recipe. Keep them coming!
Vegans: coconut oil is da bomb with indian recipes (buttah is not totally necessary, listen up!)
SWEEEEET! Thanks so much for the step by step; I’ve been wanting to delve into making my own Indian food, but sadly I was scared. And freezing tomato paste? Why didn’t my pea sized brain think of that?
Thanks for this! I looooove Indian food (but I have to admit that the Naan is a big part of that love affair!) and agree, it is never as good at home…I look forward to trying this recipe out with your tips. I’ve never even heard of a “pince” so perhaps that has been the missing ingredient in my recipes, since pretty much all Indian includes tomato paste!
LOVE this! i adore indian food, this might be the first thing i ever make that’s indian
I just started working at an Indian Restaurant! What delicious spices : )
i admit ive always been nervous about making indian food because i HATE curry, but i have to admit, this looks awesome. your instructions are great, and this will definitely be making an appearance!
I’ve never tried any time of Indian food before, but I’m really interested and I totally want to make this. Is it a one dish wonder, or do you serve it with some sort of side?
You could take pictures of an old banana and a roll of foil and tell a story about how you once climbed a tree and I’d probably still find it interesting. Everything you make looks ballin outta control. I am inspired to whip up some Indian and I thank you very kindly.
Ok
A) Freezing Tomato Paste? Brilliant! I never thought of doing that!
B) It’s nice to see you posting recipes again! I’ve missed your recipes, and I’m glad you’ve got this new series so I can have more amazing food to add to my repertoire!!
Thanks for this recipe, I’ve been thinking about trying Indian food, and there’s no better place than home to try it out!!
Thank you for sharing again! I am so happy. Your recipe is THE BEST.
Mmm, that looks SO good. Totally craving Indian now. I don’t eat it enough, but my tummy is always happy when I do!
http://www.firednfabulous.blogspot.com/
Yum!! I am hungry right now and these pics and descriptions just made my tummy growl! Haha!
I have to try this recipe for sure. I love ginger.
I am off to find something to eat that tastes half as good as your meal looks!
hey jenna – love the blog. real quick – i’m indian, and have been around true indian cooking my entire life and we NEVER USE BUTTER!! always oil, and always a little! butter is a no no, unless you own your own restaurant where everything is packed full of calories and fat!
This is like taking lessons from the master chef. I have most of those ingredients already. I just need to buy some of the spices.
Question: Can you freeze and reheat this?
Thanks so much for posting this recipe! I’ve got a ton of Chana Masala renditions I’ve been meaning to make, however this one is easy to follow and has a hefty dose of that great ELR humor written in as well
Can’t wait to try out this version!
Great that you’re getting all settled into your new place! I’m impressed you have a recipe up so quickly…and one so thorough at that! I’ve never had Indian food…never had the opportunity or knew where to start. This recipe sounds doable and delicious! I’m bookmarking it now. Thanks for sharing!!
Yay, I’m super excited to try this!!
I love this “What’s Cooking Tonight” series. It’s very informative and I appreciate all the details and pictures. I think I prefer photo to video. Keep it up!
I really love these how-to posts! Your chana masala looks delicious.
It looks soooo delicious. I love Indian food but find it VERY intimidating to make at home. This recipe seems doable and I love your detailed step by step directions. Thanks.
Looks fantastic. And with your instructions, doable even for a non-cook like me. I think I’ll give it a try. Thanks so much!
I’ve never had Indian food, but this recipe intrigues me. I go back and forth on vegetarianism — I suppose that makes me a flexitarian, but why impose labels? This non-meat recipe sounds easy enough to throw together and is healthy too. Even if I use real butter, we’re talking about 2 tablespoons distributed through a dish that probable makes six servings. How many servings does this make? I suppose the final product freezes well too?
This is such a great post! You’re pictures came out so pretty and I love the narrative that you added with the instructions. Maybe this will finally convince to like chickpeas in non-hummus form!
I love Indian food too and I can NEVER get it to taste as good at home. Thanks for the recipe, I’ll have to give it a shot
Yum! I love Indian Food and love this tutorial! I hope you still plan on doing the buttercream tutorial maybe post bike race!
This.Looks.AMAZING! I have always wanted to attempt both Indian and Thai recipes at home…but haven’t out of fear of completely butchering the amazing balance of flavors that those cultures achieve. Mmmm. This looks amazing – I’m totally saving this recipe!!
I love your Channa Masala recipe! I was lucky enough to write down your old one when it was still posted on the blog. I think this one is a variation of that one and can’t wait to make this version.
Ooh! I have been wanting to learn to make some Indian food! This is perfect. I am excited to try this. Great post:-).
Ohhhhhhh I wanna try!!!!!!! Thanks for such step by step instructions:)
Nom nom nom
Love your step by step posts. Know what else I love? The fact that I’ll be freezing tomato paste from now on. Genius!
Seriously people throw away tomato paste? Why? Why not just stick it in the fridge until next time?
I freeze my Tomato Paste too! Love that. And you know what is even better? I am currently living in Malta (south of Sicily) w/ my in-laws and they sell Tomato Paste by the tube (like a tube of toothpaste). It’s awesome b/c you just squirt out what you need!
Thank you so much for the recent tutorials! I love this addition to the blog.
Good luck with the race. I’m sure you’ll finish strong!
Freezing tomato paste is a brilliant idea!
And now I want cookies:(
THANK YOU for the advice on the tomato paste! I always feel guilty for throwing my extras out after too many weeks in the fridge!!!
And thanks again for the recipe! Dying to try this and will, STAT!
To do list: make channa masala this Sunday. Thanks for the awesome recipe. I’m just now starting to really like Indian food so I will definitely be making this!
Bravo. I had not really been enjoying some of the posts recently, but this one made up for it. I really like the step-by-step instructions. Indian and Thai food are definitely types of cuisine that I have never been able to duplicate at home. I am looking forward to trying this one. Thanks!
so excited to try this recipe out (with dairy free butter, though!)! looks amazing. and i love channa masala. a lot.
This sounds sooo good, Jenna! I’m going to have to make this. And thanks for the tip about the tomato paste…I always hate throwing away a whole can of it when I only use a tablespoon. I don’t know why I never thought of freezing it.
WooHoo ~ this is definetely going to be a weekend meal. I didn’t know you posted this. I’m glad I went back through your posts to find the banana pancake recipe (which is also on the weekend menu) on which I stumbled across this one. And I like your new “what’s cooking tonight” series. Cheers!
I love these posts! Cooking is so intimidating to me, so I greatly appreciate the step-by-step breakdown. Thanks Jenna
I love these instructional posts – thanks so much!
THIS IS SO GOOD!!! I Just made it and I will be making it again and again! Thank you for the detailed instructions…..as I have never cooked this before and it really helped!
I will definitely be making this next week! Your turkey chilli was the best turkey chilli I’ve ever made, even my fussy fiancé liked it which is saying something, haha.
Oh man, I totally have to make this recipe sometime this weekend. I really enjoy Amy’s Organic Channa Masala, so hopefully this one will be as equally good or even better. Thanks for sharing, Jenna!
Thank you SOOO much for this recipe!!!! I had channa masala for the first time last week while in Orlando on vacation. It was an Amy’s frozen dinner, and I loved it. I have been wanting to make it ever since, and now I have the perfect recipe! Cannot wait to try this!
I’ve never tried making Indian food before but I do think it’s delicious. It just seems so daunting but this makes it seem so much easier. Thanks Jenna!
I LOVE your new cooking series – fun! I used to always freeze my tomato paste until I discovered that Whole Foods sells tubes of it that you can keep in the fridge (just like on Food Network!) You just squeeze as much as you need and keep in in the fridge. The BEST part – they are only $0.99 each!!! check them out
Thank you SO much for this post. I love Indian food and have always been terribly disappointed when I’ve tried to make it at home. I followed your lead last night and we had a DELICIOUS meal at my house. The detailed instructions and images really helped. I look fwd to seeing more of these kinds of recipes on your blog. Now I know I can cook Indian food at home. Thanks again!
And beautiful photography it is!
Made this tonight – holy crap was it amazing! My pince did burn a bit, but I think it just made the flavors more complex
Everyone seemed to love it, and I’d definitely recommend having this with a hot piece of Trader Joe’s garlic naan!
I made this tonight and it was AWESOME! My first attempt at Indian, too. THANKS!
I finally got around to making this. THANK YOU! The pictures really help those of us who haven’t been to culinary school understand thinks like “carmelize” or “pince.” Your blog makes recipes so easy to get right instead of just crossing your fingers!
i love the website- i first saw it yesterday, and i already have half a dozen recipes i MUST try.
this looks delicious, but as much as i try to like chickpeas, i just can’t.
obviously it’ll be a different dish without chickpeas, but does anyone have any substitutes for them? i would love to try these flavors without chickpeas.
Jenna – someone in our household (not mentioning any names but it’s NOT me – your Dad will know who it is) can’t eat many onions. I can get away with sneaking a few into recipes but it looks like onions are an important part of this recipe. Will it turn out bad if I don’t use as many???
Thanks – can’t wait to try this one!
Awww I was totally going to swap out the butter since my body can’t digest it, but you caught me! I’ll just keep drooling over the pictures instead.
Om nom nom!!!
Uh hello you just made that look easy and AMAZING! awesome post sister!
I love channa masala. Great step by step instructions!
I made this tonight and it was amazing! Had to sub the tomato paste for tomato sauce but it still came out so so tasty. Thank you for the step by step instructions!
Interesting choice of post for this challenge! Good luck!
I make chana masala at home all the time, too – it’s such an easy “pantry meal”. I use a higher tomato to chickpea ratio though, mainly to up the veggie (erm, fruit) content and I like it soupier. Plus more spices instead of a jalapeno since I often make this when there’s not much fresh stuff in the fridge (hence, no jalapenos).
Thank you so much for this recipe!!! I made it for dinner tonight and my boyfriend and I loved it! It will definitely become a staple around here.
I made this recipe for the second time tonight and loved it again! I’m a novice when it comes to cooking but I could definitely handle this. It came out great and I’ll have some fabulous take-to-work lunches this week! Thanks so much for sharing.
OMG! I love the idea to freeze the tomato paste! I always get so upset throwing out the whole can minus 1 tablespoon!
I would recommend adding a pinch of sugar or tamarind as well to balance the acidity from the tomatoes.
Sara
chana masala looks yum,..
I just made (and devoured!) this recipe… AMAZING!
Your recipes are extremely entertaining and the step by step photos are so helpful! I always wish more cookbooks had those so I knew what my progress was like as I struggle through. Love your blog!
Oh wow! That looks amazing! I’ve been craving Indian lately but have never tried it at home! Now I need too!
Tried this recipe tonight! It turned out perfect!! Thanks for the step-by-step details! I look forward to more recipes given in this method! Thanks Jenna! It was delicious!
watching my husband eating it happily, thanks for the great and easy recipe!
I’ve never made an Indian dish before, but I love chickpeas and this sounds delicious!
Dear Jenna, I love, love you but sometimes you forget to tell me when to add ingredients, like sea salt in this case. I actually make your recipes, so I hope you will comment!
I’m sorry! When I say an amount of sea salt and then don’t say when to add it, that means just season at the end! I just write that—my apologies! Just add it whenever…at the end, if you like!
ps I am making roasted garlic naan as well and I’m wondering: is “roasted” supposed to be “charred”? what did I do wrong w/ my garlic??!
Thanks for the recipe, Jenna! I’m always looking for good vegetarian recipes with protein. Keep up the great work!
Just made this. Amazing!
Just made this…and WHOA. Love.at.first.bite.
I have wanted to make this dish pretty much since the day you posted it, and always kept it in the back of my mind, and the other day I found some dried chickpeas that needed to be used up and made this and it is excellent!
I didn’t even put any cayenne, just the jalapeno was spicy enough for me. And I didn’t have any plain yogurt but I stirred in cottage cheese instead. Very good!
I just made this for dinner and it was delicious:) Thanks for this, Jenna! I’ve made channa masala with a spice blend before but this was better. I hope to see more Indian recipes…I may have to make your chicken tikka masala next.
Love Indian food, but I’ve never made it myself. That is, until tonight. This was SO good! And now that I have the spices, I’ll have to make it again. (After reading other people’s comments, I want to try mixing spices in with the onions.) And after making this, I totally get what you’re saying about the dish smelling like pizza after pinceing!
I love this dish. I made it a couple of months ago and haven’t been able to stop thinking about it… and tonight I’m going to make it for a vegetarian friendly dinner party I’m making. It’s by far the best chickpea recipe I’ve ever made. Thanks!!
these are fabulous instructions and I’m going to make this soon!
Recipe looks great! I found tomato paste in a tube in my local ‘designer’ market…. sure beats the can!
I have now made this twice, and I can officially say that I’m obsessed. I blogged about it once too: http://www.hungrymeetshealthy.com/2011/08/weekend.html
thank you so much for a delicious and healthy recipe!
Why did I never think of freezing the tomato paste leftovers?! You’re a genius, Jenna!
i’m eating this right now
it was my first ever attempt at homemade Indian and it will be in my rotation now! Thanks.
I LOVE the idea of freezing the tomato paste! I am guilty of throwing away so many cans. I’ve been meaning to find the tube of paste that keeps it fresh and you can squeeze but I always seem to forget. This is much easier. Thank you!
Delicious, never had before, not even at a restaurant. I enjoyed, hubs was a bit on the opposite side, but hey he is all about the meat. Not me!
I just made this last night. This is the BEST Channa Masala recipe ever. EVER! It beats one I’ve been using because it’s all about cooking down the tomato paste. So yummy! Thank you!
Cannot thank you enough for this delightful recipe! Made it tonight for my carnivore hubby — I’m vegan — we loved, loved, loved this! Your instructions were point on – followed them to the letter and this turned out fabulous! Made him a grilled chicken breast to go with – perfect dinner for both of us. We are already talking about the possibilities for the leftovers – on crusty bread with Italian sausage …. thank you so very much, Jenna!!! Hugs – Cathie & Steve
so glad!
I always throw the extra tomato paste out! Why didn’t I think of freezing it?!?!?
Never cooked till this month. I came across this recipe and it’s amazing! My friends loved it. Thanks so much!
I made it yesterday and it was very delicious! I might not digest chickpeas too well though. Does anyone have any advice how to improve the digestion of legumes in general? I would be very thankful! Cheers!
Anja, try Beano (you can get it at most drug stores and it provides an enzyme you need to digest legumes; be careful if you have a penicillin allergy though and read the label) before the meal OR try soaking dry chickpeas overnight, rinse them well, then cook them slowly 2-4 hours. Makes them way more digestible. I find can chickpeas harder to tolerate.
So if you cook a large quantity of dry chickpeas, you can freeze the ones you don’t plan to use immediately or make a marinade with the ones you plan to use in the next few days.
I’m making this recipe tonight — can’t wait!! Y-U-M
Hi Jessica,
thank you very much for your kind advice. I will try to make soaking chickpeas. I am not sure if we get Beano in Germany.
I hope you liked the recipe as much as I did.
Enjoy your day!
Hey, thank you for the reipe, I’ve tried it and it’s great! What I do is, besides adding a can of diced tomatoes, I add 3 fresh diced ones! Also, at the end, I add about half a bunch of cilantro (finely chopped). I must try to soak and cook chickpeas one day – canned food is nothing like fresh!
Just wanted to comment that I made this recipe and it was phenomenal
And I SOOO appreciate the tip on the tomato paste! I don’t even want to try to guess how much money I’ve wasted on that stuff!
Made this for dinner tonight and came online straight away just to say that this is AMAZING! I’m new to your blog and blogs in general but will definatly be back again
Thankyou
Made this tonight and it was AMAZING. I’m almost more excited for the left-overs than I was the first go round! Will definitely be making this again
– no more frozen grocery store masala for this girl!
Just made this with one whole unseeded serrano and a sprinkle of cayenne! I have a love hate relationship with insane heat!
Woah! This looks delicious. I will certainly be making it this week! And seriously… your frozen tomato paste idea is amazing! I am always throwing out moldy 1/2 full cans of old tomato paste. No more!
This was so delicious! Very easy. I appreciate your detailed instructions. Thank you for sharing!
I just made this and it was AMAZING- thank you for your detailed instructions! Now every time I try to make an Indian recipe, I’ll know how to do the onions and the pince correctly!