Chana Masala with a Properly Browned Onion-Tomato Masala

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The chickpeas come from a can and nobody will know, because all the flavor lives in the base: onions cooked past golden into deep brown, then tomatoes fried down until the oil pools at the edge of the pan. A spoonful of amchur (dried mango powder) or a hard squeeze of lemon at the end gives it the sour lift that separates restaurant chana from weeknight chana. Twenty minutes of patient stirring, then it mostly cooks itself.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp neutral oil or ghee
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
• 1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 4 cloves garlic, finely grated or minced
• 1 to 2 serrano chiles, slit lengthwise
• 1 1/2 cups canned crushed tomatoes, or 3 medium tomatoes, grated

• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chile powder or sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 1/4 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
• 1 tsp garam masala

• 2 15-oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed (about 3 1/4 cups)
• 1 1/2 cups water or low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 tsp amchur (dried mango powder), or 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems, chopped
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced, for serving
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a wide, heavy skillet or Dutch oven (10–12 inches) over medium heat until it shimmers, about 2 minutes. Add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle and darken slightly, 20–30 seconds.
2. Add the chopped onions and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring every couple of minutes and scraping the bottom, for 18–22 minutes. Push through pale gold, past honey-colored, to a genuinely deep brown with the onions collapsed and jammy. If the pan gets too dark too fast, splash in 1 tablespoon of water and lower the heat. This step is the recipe — do not shortcut it.
3. Add the ginger, garlic, and slit chiles. Cook, stirring constantly, for 90 seconds, until the raw garlic smell is gone.
4. Stir in the coriander, cumin, chile powder, and turmeric. Toast for 30 seconds in the hot oil, then immediately add the crushed tomatoes and 1 1/4 teaspoons salt to keep the spices from scorching.
5. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook the tomatoes down for 10–14 minutes, stirring often, until the mixture is thick, darkened to a brick red, pulls away from the sides of the pan in a mass, and you can see oil separating at the edges. That separation is your signal the base is done.
6. Add the drained chickpeas and stir to coat every one in the masala. Cook for 2 minutes so the chickpeas take on color, then pour in the water and scrape up anything stuck to the pan.
7. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer, partially cover, and cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Using the back of a spoon, mash about 1/2 cup of the chickpeas against the side of the pot to thicken the gravy to a loose, clingy consistency.
8. Turn off the heat. Stir in the amchur (or lemon juice) and the garam masala, then taste. It should read savory, faintly sweet from the onions, and clearly tangy — add more amchur or lemon 1/2 teaspoon at a time, and more salt as needed.
9. Rest 5 minutes off the heat, then stir in most of the cilantro. Serve topped with the remaining cilantro and sliced red onion, with lemon wedges alongside, plus basmati rice, roti, or naan.

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Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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