Chana Masala is the most popular Indian curry made with chickpeas (chana). I am sharing a Delhi-style vegan, zero oil chana masala recipe. Be sure to watch the video!
About Chana Masala
Over the years, chana masala has become a widely popular Indian curry among vegan food lovers. Because:
- gluten-free, and vegan
- highly customizable
- freezer and meal-prep friendly
- chickpeas (chana) are easily available
- plant based protein rich main course
- instant pot, and pressure cooker friendly
Chana Masala is one of the most loved curries. I have another delicious version of instant pot chana curry truly restaurant style in my cookbook .
My Zero Oil Chana Recipe
This special Delhi-style chole masala recipe is tried and tested over the years. The USP of this curry recipe is that it requires zero oil or fat .
I would not say that my chana recipe is better than the one served at the pushcarts across Delhi or it is an authentic version. But it is a bookmark-worthy chana curry recipe that always yields finger-licking good results with minimal time in the kitchen.
The best part about this chana recipe is that there is not much cutting, chopping, and prep work involved. All you need to have is the requisite spices in the pantry. The dish’s flavour profile is defined by the right combination of spices added while preparing it.
All the spices mentioned in the chana masala recipe contribute to the dish’s flavour.
How To Boil Chickpeas
I use the Indian-style stovetop pressure cooker to perfectly boil the chickpeas. You can do the same in an instant pot or electric pressure cooker.
I often cook chana pulao and chana saag using an instant pot. You can use boiled chickpeas to make Mediterranean salad or hummus .
Follow these steps to get perfectly boiled chickpeas each time:
- Soak Chickpeas: Rinse and soak chickpeas in water for 5 – 6 hours before boiling. This reduces cooking time to almost half and makes chickpeas plum in size.
- Boil Chickpeas: Drain water from the soaked chickpeas or use the same water. And add 2 – 3 cups more. Do not add too much water. The ideal ratio is 1:2, one cup of chickpeas to two cups of water. Season the water with salt. And at last, don’t forget to add the whole spices while boiling chickpeas.
Stovetop Pressure Cooker: In a stovetop pressure cooker, chickpeas take 4 – 5 whistles over low heat to get boiled.
Instant Pot Pressure Cooker: Set the pressure cooker mode. Add soaked chickpeas along with water, whole spices, and salt to the inner pot. Close the lid. Set the steam valve to sealing mode. Pressure Cook chickpeas for 10 – 15 minutes.
Many cooks prefer adding tea leaves or tea bags while boiling chickpeas. This is optional. Why are tea leaves added? To give a nice dark brown colour to the chickpeas for the curry. That is the only reason to add tea leaves. In my chana recipe, this step is skipped. I believe the true natural colour of the dish comes from the spices like anardana powder (pomegranate seeds powder) and garam masala .
Yes, you can use canned chickpeas for making this curry. Make sure to discard the liquid present in the can or the tin. Rinse the chickpeas with running water and let them sit on a colander or sieve for 10 – 15 minutes.
You can add it to the chana curry for colour, aroma, and flavour. In that case, skip adding garam masala powder.
You can store it in the refrigerator for 4 – 5 days. Chickpeas usually freeze well, and this chana masala is no exception. Let it cool down to room temperature. Store in a freezer-safe container or ziplock and freeze. It should be good for up to 1 month.
It is a medium to highly spicy curry, especially if you are not accustomed to eating spicy food. You can add coconut milk or cream to tone down the heat of spices.
Watch Chana Masala Video
Serving Suggestion
In India, spicy chole masala is served with deep-fried bhatura or kulcha , also known as chana – kulcha.
The chana curry is loaded with potatoes, green chillies, masala onion, or green chutney . That combination is tantalizing. The instant ginger pickle or gobi gajar pickle tastes amazing with this chana curry.
You can also serve this chana masala with jeera rice , poori , naan , or chapati.
More Punjabi Curry Recipes
- Dal Makhani
- Rajma Masala
- Butter Chicken
- Palak Chana Saag
- Paneer Kofta Curry
- Soya Chaap Masala
- Paneer Butter Masala
- Punjabi Kadhi Pakora
If you try this recipe and love it, please leave a comment and a rating. This helps us grow and reach other food lovers like you.
Ingredients
Ingredients For Boiling:
- ▢ 1 Cup white chana/chole (chickpeas)
- ▢ Salt to taste
- ▢ 1 bay leaf
- ▢ 2 green cardamoms (elaichi)
- ▢ 2 cloves (laung)
- ▢ 1 Cup chopped onion
- ▢ 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- ▢ 4 Cup water
Spices For Chana Masala:
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon asafoetida
- ▢ 1 teaspoon anardana powder (pomegranate seeds powder)
- ▢ 1 teaspoon fennel powder (saunf)
- ▢ 1 teaspoon coriander powder (dhaniya)
- ▢ 1 teaspoon Garam Masala see recipe here
- ▢ 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- ▢ 1 teaspoon cumin powder (jeera powder
Other Ingredients For Chana Masala
- ▢ ¼ Cup kasuri methi
- ▢ 1 green chili, sliced
- ▢ an inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut into thin strips
- ▢ Juice of half a lemon
- ▢ ¼ Cup chopped fresh coriander leaves
Instructions
How To Boil Chana (Chickpeas)
- Clean, wash, and soak chana overnight in water or for 5 – 6 hours. Next day drain water, transfer chana in a colander.
- Add soaked chickpeas in a pressure cooker with 4 cups of water, whole spices, onion, ginger paste, and salt.
- Close the lid of the pressure cooker and cook chickpeas until soft. For me, it takes 3 -4 whistles over a low flame. In IP, it takes 15 minutes in a pressure cook mode.
- Allow the steam to release naturally from the pressure cooker. Open the lid, discard the whole spices
- Transfer chickpeas into a large bowl. Reserve water in which chickpeas were cooked.
How To Cook Chana Masala
- Heat heavy-bottomed pan over low flame. Add asafoetida, anardana powder, coriander powder, and fennel powder. Dry roast the spices for 10 – 20 seconds to release the aroma.
- Add boiled chickpeas, cumin powder, red chilli powder, garam masala, salt, and reserved boiled chickpea water. Stir to combine. Gently mash the chana using the back of a spoon or ladle to thicken the gravy.
- Cover the pan with a lid. Let chana masala simmer over low heat for the next 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, add ginger, green chili, kasuri methi, coriander, and lemon juice. Stir to mix nicely. Cook for 5 minutes and turn off the heat.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
- Serve Punjabi Chana Masala warm with naan or poori or kulcha .
Recipe Notes:
- You can use canned chickpeas as well to make chana masala.
- Adding onion is optional in this chole recipe.
- Use dry mango powder if anardana powder is not available. But the color of the chana masala will not be the same.
- You can add a teaspoon of chana masala powder as well for aroma and taste.
- Allow the boiled chana to simmer in the spices for some time to absorb the juices of the masala.
Nutrition
We follow a strict NO SPAM Policy
Chana Masala Recipe
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
- Heavy Bottom Kadhai
Ingredients
Ingredients For Boiling:
- 1 Cup white chana/chole (chickpeas)
- Salt to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 green cardamoms (elaichi)
- 2 cloves (laung)
- 1 Cup chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 4 Cup water
Spices For Chana Masala:
- ¼ teaspoon asafoetida
- 1 teaspoon anardana powder (pomegranate seeds powder)
- 1 teaspoon fennel powder (saunf)
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder (dhaniya)
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala see recipe here
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder (jeera powder
Other Ingredients For Chana Masala
- ¼ Cup kasuri methi
- 1 green chili, sliced
- an inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut into thin strips
- Juice of half a lemon
- ¼ Cup chopped fresh coriander leaves
Instructions
How To Boil Chana (Chickpeas)
- Clean, wash, and soak chana overnight in water or for 5 - 6 hours. Next day drain water, transfer chana in a colander.
- Add soaked chickpeas in a pressure cooker with 4 cups of water, whole spices, onion, ginger paste, and salt.
- Close the lid of the pressure cooker and cook chickpeas until soft. For me, it takes 3 -4 whistles over a low flame. In IP, it takes 15 minutes in a pressure cook mode.
- Allow the steam to release naturally from the pressure cooker. Open the lid, discard the whole spices
- Transfer chickpeas into a large bowl. Reserve water in which chickpeas were cooked.
How To Cook Chana Masala
- Heat heavy-bottomed pan over low flame. Add asafoetida, anardana powder, coriander powder, and fennel powder. Dry roast the spices for 10 - 20 seconds to release the aroma.
- Add boiled chickpeas, cumin powder, red chilli powder, garam masala, salt, and reserved boiled chickpea water. Stir to combine. Gently mash the chana using the back of a spoon or ladle to thicken the gravy.
- Cover the pan with a lid. Let chana masala simmer over low heat for the next 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, add ginger, green chili, kasuri methi, coriander, and lemon juice. Stir to mix nicely. Cook for 5 minutes and turn off the heat.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
- Serve Punjabi Chana Masala warm with naan or poori or kulcha .
Video
Notes
- You can use canned chickpeas as well to make chana masala.
- Adding onion is optional in this chole recipe.
- Use dry mango powder if anardana powder is not available. But the color of the chana masala will not be the same.
- You can add a teaspoon of chana masala powder as well for aroma and taste.
- Allow the boiled chana to simmer in the spices for some time to absorb the juices of the masala.
Nutrition
Palak Khichdi is a wholesome variation of traditional dal khichdi. The bold green colour and garlicky flavour are the highlights of this Indian khichdi recipe.
I first fell in love with this khichdi recipe while testing recipes for my debut cookbook – The 100 Best Curries for your Instant Pot . And it became one of the first few recipes I finalized for the cookbook.
What I LOVE about palak khichdi is
- it has spinach, moong dal, and rice making it a balanced meal
- a happy and healthy transformation of regular dal khichdi
- you can easily make it in an instant pot or pressure cooker
- a fantastic recipe to include spinach in everyday meal
- a strong flavour of garlic, cumin, and ghee
I am sharing a simple method to make palak khichdi in a traditional stovetop pressure cooker. You can grab a copy of my cookbook to learn how to make lehsuni spinach khichdi in an instant pot.
Ingredients Required
Dal: You need yellow moong dal (dried yellow moong beans)
Rice: Uncooked, short to medium-grain white rice. Do not use basmati rice for making khichdi.
Spinach: This palak khichdi is best made with fresh spinach leaves.
Garlic is added twice in this khichdi recipe, once in spinach puree and the second in tempering (tadka).
Oil: A khichdi tastes best when cooked in pure ghee. For a vegan khichdi, you can use refined oil or coconut oil.
Spices: Cumin (jeera), Cinnamon Stick, Dried Red Chillies, Asafoetida (hing), Red Chilli Powder, Garam Masala
Other Ingredients: Ginger, Green Chilli, Salt, Water
How To Get Bright Green Color
The perfect blanching of the spinach gives khichdi its bright green colour.
- Step 1: To blanch the spinach first, clean it and rinse with water to remove dirt particles. Next, place a bowl of ice-cold water ready.
- Step 2: Boil water in a saucepan with a teaspoon of salt (image 1) . Once the water starts boiling, add the cleaned spinach leaves to the hot water (image 2). Cook for about 40 – 50 seconds until the colour of the leaves turns bright green. Turn off the heat.
- Step 3: Transfer the leaves immediately to the bowl of ice-cold water ( image 4 ). This step stops the cooking process and retains the leaves’ green colour.
After this last step, you can use the blanched spinach leaves to make a puree. You can use this spinach puree to make palak puri , palak egg curry or other Indian dishes like palak paneer.
- Step 4: Make a smooth puree of blanched spinach, green chilli, ginger, and garlic using one to two tablespoons of water.
How To Make Khichdi
Step 1: Combine dal and rice in a bowl. Rinse them with water 2 – 3 times. Soak them in water for 15 minutes.
Step 2: After 15 minutes, drain all the water from the soaked dal and rice. Transfer them to a pressure cooker. Add salt, asafoetida (hing), and cinnamon stick.
Step 3: Add water. Pressure Cook for 2 whistles over low heat. Release the steam manually.
Step 4: Open the lid, add spinach puree, and stir to combine. Simmer over low heat. Meanwhile, prepare the tadka.
Step 5: For tempering, heat ghee, add dried red chillies, cumin seeds, and sliced garlic. Fry over low heat till garlic turn light golden. Turn off the heat.
Step 6: Pour lehsuni tadka over the palak khichdi. Stir to combine.
Palak Khichdi is ready to serve.
Serving Suggestion
Palak Khichdi is one pot, Indian main course dish. It is an ultimate comfort food that does not require side dishes.
However, here are a few of my favourite Indian condiments I enjoy with my bowl of khichdi – kachumber salad , mango pickle , fried papad, and plain curd.
Store the leftover khichdi in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 – 3 days. However, the bright green colour of the khichdi starts changing to deep green after a day. But the taste remains delicious.
Reheat in a microwave or a stovetop pan. Add ¼ cup of water while reheating to get the desired consistency.
More Indian Khichdi Recipes
- Oats Khichdi
- Masala Khichdi
- Dal Rice Khichdi
- Urad Dal Khichdi
- Chana Dal Khichdi
- Vegetable Dalia Khichdi
- Green Sabudana Khichdi
If you try this recipe and love it, please leave a comment and a rating. This helps us grow and reach other food lovers like you
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 Cup white rice (short to medium grain)
- ▢ ⅓ Cup yellow moong dal
- ▢ 1 ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon hing (asafoetida)
- ▢ ½ inch cinnamon stick
- ▢ 2 ½ Cup water
- ▢ 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- ▢ ½ teaspoon Garam Masala ( get recipe )
Ingredients For Spinach Puree
- ▢ 2 Cup spinach leaves (palak)
- ▢ 1 green chilli
- ▢ 1 tablespoon chopped ginger
- ▢ 4 garlic cloves
Ingredients For Tempering (Tadka):
- ▢ 2 tablespoon ghee
- ▢ 1 tablespoon fine chopped or sliced garlic
- ▢ 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- ▢ 4 dried red chillies (preferably Kashmiri Red Chilli)
Instructions
- Combine dal and rice in a bowl. Rinse them with water 2 – 3 times. Soak them in clean water for 15 minutes.
- To blanch the spinach first, clean it and rinse with water to remove dirt particles. Next, place a bowl of ice-cold water ready.
- Boil water in a saucepan with a teaspoon of salt . Once the water starts boiling, add the cleaned spinach leaves to the hot water. Cook for about 40 – 50 seconds until the colour of the leaves turns bright green. Turn off the heat.
- Transfer the leaves immediately to the bowl of ice-cold water . This step stops the cooking process and retains the leaves green colour.
- Make a smooth puree of blanched spinach, green chilli, ginger, and garlic using one to two tablespoons of water. Keep it aside.
- Drain all the water from the soaked dal and rice. Transfer them to a pressure cooker. Add salt, asafoetida (hing), water, and cinnamon stick. Pressure Cook for two whistles over low heat. Release the steam manually.
- Open the lid, add spinach puree, and stir to combine. Simmer over low heat. Meanwhile prepare the tadka.
- For tempering, heat ghee, add dried red chillies, cumin seeds, and sliced garlic. Fry over low heat till garlic turn light golden. Turn off the heat.
- Pour lehsuni tadka over the palak khichdi. Stir to combine.
- Lehsuni Palak Khichdi is ready to serve.
Recipe Notes:
- After adding spinach puree do not cook the khichdi for too long. Simmer over low heat only for 5 – 6 minutes for flavours to combine.
- Blanching spinach removes its raw taste and give the puree a beautiful green colour.
- If the khichdi is too thick, add more water while simmering it to get the desired consistency.
- This is a medium spicy khichdi. Adjust the quantity of red and green chilli to get the desired level of spiciness.
Nutrition
We follow a strict NO SPAM Policy
