Chana Masala is the name of a slightly spicy chickpea stew, and also refers to the name of the complex spice blend used to make that dish. A big thank-you goes to my sister-in-law Janet, for sharing her recipe with me for Chana Masala — the chickpea stew.
She made this dish for our families one night while together on vacation in a rented house on Lake Michigan. It wowed a lot of hungry people that night, and has since found its way into my regular rotation.
In Vegan Indian Cooking, author Anupy Singla describes how to make your own Chana Masala spice blend. According to Singla, “the key to this spice mixture is the dried pomegranate seeds, which lend a needed sourness to the dish.” This is a lovely book filled with good ideas. Her recipe for this spice mixture has 17 ingredients, and I am sure it is probably fantastic.
But that’s a lot of separate ingredients, and Janet and I take a shortcut, using a prepared Chana Masala Spice Blend that makes this recipe accessible, even on a weeknight.
Although variations of the Chana Masala spice blend are made by several companies, we use the one made by MDH, imported from India. Consisting of nearly 20 different ingredients, this particular blend contains the required dried pomegranate seeds, along with coriander, dried mango, chili, cumin, fenugreek leaves, ginger, cinnamon and cardamom.
You can locate this spice blend at international grocery stores or online. The package holds enough ready-to-use spice mixture to make Chana Masala several times.
This works beautifully in a slow cooker, because the chickpeas really soften while all the flavors marry. But this is great simmered for about 20 minutes on the stovetop too.
Either way, with the intoxicating aroma of these heavenly spices, this makes a delicious and hearty meal on a cold winter night. The hardest part of this recipe might just be waiting for dinner.
SPICY CHANA MASALA
1 medium onion, diced
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
3 14-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
4 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 3 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed)
1 cup cold water
3 tablespoons, plus 1 teaspoon Chana Masala Spice Blend
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons kosher salt (or more, to taste)
1 cup frozen petite peas (or to taste)
2 cups fresh baby spinach, sliced into ribbons (optional)
To serve: cooked brown or basmati rice
Stovetop Instructions
Heat a large Scanpan Soup Pot or Le Creuset Dutch Oven over medium high heat. Add onions, and sauté until golden, adding a splash of water as needed to avoid sticking, and scraping the bottom of the pan as needed to sauté evenly. Add garlic and ginger and continue to sauté for just about another minute or two.
Stir in crushed tomatoes, chickpeas, cold water, Chana Masala Spice Blend, baking soda, and salt. Bring up to a boil, cover and reduce to a rolling simmer for about 20 minutes.
Turn off heat, add frozen peas to bubbling Chana Masala stew. Cover and allow the stew to heat the peas all the way through. Garnish with ribbons of fresh spinach (if using), or mix directly into hot stew before serving.
Serve over mounds of hot brown or basmati rice.
Slow Cooker Instructions
Add all ingredients to a large slow cooker, except the peas and spinach. Stir mixture well, cover and cook on High setting for 6 hours.
After 6 hours, add frozen peas to bubbling Chana Masala stew. Cover and allow the stew to heat the peas all the way through. Garnish with ribbons of fresh spinach (if using), or mix directly into hot stew before serving.
Serve over mounds of hot brown or basmati rice.
(Recipe concept shared by Janet Brett)
Copyright © Vicki Brett-Gach | Ann Arbor Vegan Kitchen