Chana Mushroom Masala - Recipe
Chana masala (spicy chickpeas) is one of those ten dishes you will find at pretty much every Indian restaurant in America. You can understand why: it is inexpensive, delicious, healthy and satisfying. The mass prepared versions are usually pretty good, but you can make a similar dish at home and enjoy fresher, more vibrant flavors.
If you have the ingredients on hand and use canned chickpeas, you can make this chana masala in just 30 minutes. I find that canned chickpeas are often undercooked and a little crunchy, so if I go that route, the first thing I do is put them on to simmer while I prepare everything else.
The mushrooms add a little textural counterpoint without being a main focus of the dish. You can certainly omit them or use a different vegetable to suit your needs.
There are a lot of spices in this recipe, so to help you stay organized and efficient, we’ll gather everything into three separate bowls before starting to cook the curry.
Chana Mushroom Masala
Vegan option & gluten-free / Serves 2 with just rice or 4 as part of a larger Indian meal / 30 minutes if you have already-cooked chickpeas available
- Spice mixture: 2 teaspoons black mustard seeds (plus one more for tempering, below)
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- Tomato mixture:
- 1 medium tomato, cored, small dice (canned is an option)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 medium onion, small dice
- Chickpea mixture:
- 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (15 oz. can, drained and rinsed, or better, home-cooked)
- 2/3 cup white mushrooms, quartered or thickly sliced
- 1 small, hot red chile pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated turmeric, or 2 teaspoons dry
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 pinch ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- To complete the dish:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or clarified butter / ghee if you have it)
- for tempering: 1 tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- for garnish: cilantro
- If using canned chickpeas, drain and rinse them and put them in a saucepan with water to cover, then bring to a boil and simmer while you get everything else going. This will improve their texture. You can do this in the microwave too, or skip this step completely if your chickpeas are already pleasantly soft.
- Gather the spice mixture in a small bowl, the tomato mixture in a medium bowl, and the chickpea mixture in a medium bowl.
- In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over a medium-high flame. Add the spice mixture. Cook for about 10-20 seconds until the mustard seeds begin to pop. Immediately add the tomato mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes until the liquid is mostly gone and everything is browning.
- Add the chickpea mixture and a cup or so of water, so it is somewhat soupy.
- Cook uncovered over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, until the sauce begins to thicken. Taste and adjust seasoning. Does it need more salt? More lemon juice? A bit more cayenne?
- Finish for the texture you want - you can see how I like it in the picture. Then in a separate small skillet, heat the last tablespoon of oil over high heat and fry the mustard seeds until they pop, just a few seconds. This is called tempering, and it is a great way to add a final layer of flavor. Toss the contents of that skillet over the chickpeas and serve, with the cilantro for garnish.
