Chana masala — chole, if you are ordering it in the Punjab or from a North Indian street kitchen — is the chickpea curry we reach for when the table wants bright and deeply savoury at once. The dish is rooted in the Punjab region and North Indian street kitchens, and its signature tang comes not from tomato alone but from a souring finish: dried mango powder (amchur) or pomegranate seeds (anardana), whichever the cook keeps on the shelf. Classically it is eaten with bhatura or rice, and we like it just so.
At a glance
- Prep
- 20 mins
- Cook
- 45 mins
- Total
- 1 hr 5 mins
- Serves
- 4-6
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried chickpeas (kabuli chana), soaked overnight — or 3 x 400g cans, drained
- 2 tbsp ghee or neutral oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 2 green chillies, slit lengthwise
- 3 tomatoes, puréed, or 400g crushed tomatoes
- 1 tbsp chana masala spice blend, plus more to taste
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tsp amchur (dried mango powder), or 1 tsp anardana (pomegranate seeds), or a squeeze of lemon
- Salt
- A handful of fresh coriander, to finish
Method
- If using dried chickpeas, drain the soaked chickpeas and cook them in fresh water with a pinch of salt until tender — 40-50 minutes in a pot, or 15-20 in a pressure cooker. Reserve a cup of the cooking liquid.
- Heat the ghee in a wide pan and crackle the cumin seeds and bay leaves, about 30 seconds.
- Add the onion and cook until deep golden at the edges, 8-10 minutes, then add the ginger-garlic paste and green chillies and cook for 1 minute more.
- Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring often, until the masala darkens and the fat begins to separate at the edges, 10-12 minutes.
- Stir in the chana masala blend, ground coriander, turmeric and chilli powder, and cook for 1 minute to wake the spices.
- Add the chickpeas and enough cooking liquid or water to make a loose gravy. Simmer for 10-15 minutes so the chickpeas drink the sauce, mashing a few against the side of the pan to thicken it.
- Finish with the amchur (or anardana, or lemon), salt and fresh coriander. Serve with bhatura or rice.
Sources
Music to cook to
Chole wants a bright, festive North Indian evening. We cook it to the side of the playlist that feels like a celebration — dhol, brass and a table that keeps filling. Listen to the paired playlist
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A table that keeps filling deserves a proper setting — cloth, brass and candlelight in our Indian home decor.