This recipe was adapted from a Kiran Bajaj original – the mother of one of my best friends from high school. I have many memories of spending time at their house and being fed so much delicious Indian food. I loved the stews filled with warming spices that were often served with flatbread and a creamy cooling yogurt to balance everything out. A truly magical combination!
Chana Masala is a chickpea and tomato-based stew spiked with lots of warming spices and aromatics and topped with a creamy cucumber yogurt. Serve it with rice or flatbread for a truly delicious experience!
Toasting the spices and cooking the aromatics in plenty of oil gives it the bulk of its flavor and richness. One of my favorite parts is how quick it all comes together. Use your blender to finely chop all of the aromatics – then it’s just a matter of putting everything in the pot.
Ingredient highlight
Chickpeas! Like many other legumes are rich in protein, fiber, folate, zinc, calcium, magnesium and iron. They also contain vitamin K which, along with calcium, is a key nutrient for strong bones. Chickpeas are uniquely rich in certain flavonoids (mostly in the outer part of the chickpea) and antioxidants that will help fight off inflammation and free radicals.
Servings 4 People
Prep Time 5 minutes 
Cook Time 15 minutes 
Total Time 20 minutes Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked short grain brown rice about 1 cup uncooked
- 1 jalapeno, halved lengthwise, seeds removed
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 inch inch knob ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and quartered
- 1/3 cup oil (avocado oil or olive oil)
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt, divided
- 1 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes, blended into a puree OR crushed tomatoes*
- 3 cups packed spinach (optional)
- 2 15 oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 tsp garam masala**
- 1/4 tsp ground paprika
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
For the cucumber yogurt:
- ½ cucumber, peeled, chopped finely (about ½ cup)
- ½ cup plain whole milk yogurt
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- *I prefer whole peeled always, but you can use crushed or even diced. If using diced, just puree it in your blender until smooth.
- **can’t find garam masala? Substitute with 1 tsp ground cumin + ¼ tsp ground cinnamon + ¼ tsp ground allspice.
Instructions
- If your rice isn’t cooked, cook it (rice cooking instructions)!
- In a food processor, blend the jalapeño, garlic, and ginger until everything is finely chopped (scrape the sides and under the blade). Add the onion and blend again until finely chopped, scraping down the sides and under the blade as needed. This step really helps to finely chop and release the juices for maximum flavor.
- In a large pot, add the oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the spices and let them toast in the oil for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Add the onion mixture and ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until the onion is softened and caramelized a bit in the spices (this is key for a deep, rich flavor).
- Stir in the tomatoes and remaining 1 teaspoon salt and simmer for 5 more minutes. Stir in the spinach (if using), chickpeas, garam masala and paprika and cook for 5 more minutes or until the spinach is completely wilted. You’ll want to press the spinach into the liquid and stir it around so that it can soften and wilt. Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro.
- Make the cucumber yogurt by mixing everything together in a small bowl. Serve the chana masala with warm rice and top with cucumber yogurt.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Cook 1 cup short grain brown rice
- Cook chana masala
- Make cucumber yogurt
Substitutions:
- Make vegan by using vegan yogurt
- Serve with any grain you’d like. I’ve tossed leftovers with pasta and it has been delicious, so you can also substitute pasta for rice!
- Serve with flatbread or naan instead of rice
- See substitution for garam masala under the ingredients
Storage:
-
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge
- Chana masala and rice: up to 5 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer
- Cucumber yogurt: up to 5 days in the fridge
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Warm the rice and chana masala up and top with yogurt and fresh cilantro.
- Top with a fried egg
- Turn it into a rice bowl: rice, chana masala with anything else in you fridge. Top with cucumber yogurt
- Toss the chana masala with pasta and top with yogurt – I’ve tried and it’s delicious!
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