Recipes
Samah Dada's Chana Masala
Image Credits
Photo by Julia Gartland
ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 (1-inch) knob fresh ginger, grated
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dry mango powder (optional)
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- 1 (15 ounce) can crushed or diced tomatoes, with their juices
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 1 (15.5 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 handfuls of fresh spinach
- Fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped, for garnish
- ½ lemon
- Cooked rice, quinoa
method
- Heat the olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. When it shimmers, add the onions, and stir fry until they become slightly translucent and start to brown around the edges, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic to the onions and cook everything together for an additional 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the turmeric, cumin, mango powder (if using), coriander, cayenne, salt and black pepper. Stir-fry until the masala has roasted and the “raw” masala smell disappears, 2 to 3 minutes. Feel free to add a splash of water if it looks like your masala is starting to burn!
- Add the tomato paste and cook it with the spices, allowing it to darken in color for about 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes and cook with the masala, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes.
- Pour the vegetable broth into the pot and bring the masala to a boil. Then reduce it to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add the chickpeas. Cover the pot and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring throughout. You can cook it longer if you want the chana masala to be a little bit thicker.
- Add the spinach and cook until it wilts. Simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Garnish the chana masala with cilantro and finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon. Serve with rice, naan, quinoa, or bread.
Divider
Recipe excerpted from Dada Eats Love To Cook It, published by Rodale Books.Links
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