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§03 · Dinner · Indian · chana-masala

Revised Jul 2026 · 2 revisions

Chana Masala

Chickpeas simmered into a thick, spiced tomato gravy. Tangy, warming, and even better scooped up the next day.

Illustration of Chana Masala
Hands-on 20 min Total 45 min Serves4 Ingredients15 Cost / Serv.$1.17 Calories459
Servings
4 servings
×1

Ingredients

Everything here is already in your pantry.

Ran low on something?

What swaps in
Chickpeas
Dried, cooked ¾ cup dried ≈ one 15 oz can drained
Red Onion
Yellow onion milder cooked, none of the anthocyaninsWhite onion sharper raw, none of the anthocyaninsShallots sweeter and finer; about 3 small per onion
Garlic
Fresh cloves 1 tsp jarred = 1 clove
Diced Tomatoes
Crushed tomatoes smoother, no crushing neededWhole peeled tomatoes crush by hand going inFire-roasted diced tomatoes smokier, 1:1
Frozen Spinach
Fresh spinach roughly 4:1 by volume; a 1 lb bag wilts down to a 10 oz blockFrozen kale chewier, needs longer
Ground Ginger
Fresh grated ginger about 1 tbsp per ½ tsp; brighter and hotter, not the same warmth
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Butter 1:1 for cooking; browns at a lower temperature, and it sets solid once coldRefined olive oil higher smoke point, less flavorAvocado oil neutral, very high smoke point
Bottled Lemon Juice
Fresh lemons 1 lemon ≈ 3 tbsp; brighter, but keeps days rather than months
Sea Salt
Kosher salt coarser, so more by volume; the ratio depends on the brandTable salt finer and denser; use about ¾ by volume
Brown Rice
Short-grain brown rice stickier; same ~45 minutesMedium-grain brown rice between the twoWhite rice about 20 minutes instead of 45, with less fibre

No close substitute for Cumin, Ground Coriander, Turmeric, Chili Powder, and Cinnamon.

What you'll need

Method

  1. Start the 1 cup185 g brown rice first: simmer it in 2 cups water, covered, until tender, about 40 minutes. It’s the long pole, so get it going before anything else and the rest comes together while it cooks.
  2. Heat the 2 tbsp27 g olive oil in a pot over medium. Cook the 1110 g diced onion until golden, about 7 minutes. Add the 4 tsp20 g garlic, 2 tsp4.2 g cumin, 2 tsp3.6 g coriander, 1 tsp2.8 g turmeric, 1 tsp1.6 g ginger, and 1 tsp2.4 g chili powder; stir 30 seconds until fragrant.
  3. Add the 1 can (14.5 oz)411 g diced tomatoes and cook down 5 minutes into a thick masala, crushing them against the pot with the back of your spoon as they soften. Add the 2 cans (15 oz)506 g chickpeas, drained and rinsed, 1 cup85 g spinach, thawed and squeezed dry, and 1 cup water; simmer 15 minutes, mashing some of the chickpeas against the pot to thicken. Stir in the ¼ tsp0.6 g cinnamon for the last couple of minutes, so its warmth stays bright rather than cooking away.
  4. Off the heat, finish with the 1 tbsp15 g lemon juice and salt, to taste. Serve over the rice.

Kids: drop the chili powder and mash more chickpeas — it becomes a mild, creamy tomato-chickpea stew.

Dietary

  • Gluten free
  • Tree nut free
  • Peanut free
  • Soy free
  • Sesame free

Nutrition

Per serving · makes 4
Calories459Protein15gCarbs75gFiber14gSugars9.5gFat13gSaturated Fat1.6gSodium470mg
Vitamins & minerals
Iron4.5mgCalcium159mgPotassium672mgMagnesium127mgZinc2.3mgFolate117µgVitamin C19mgVitamin B120.0µgOmega-3 (ALA)0.03g
Estimated from pantry data, excluding Sea Salt (to taste).
Change log · 2 revisions
  1. 24 Jul 2026

    HeardThe rice was assumed already cooked — no step made it, and the 30-minute time didn't count it.

    ChangedAdded a first step to start the brown rice (about 40 minutes, the long pole here) and corrected the total time to a realistic 45 minutes.

  2. 14 Jul 2026

    FoundThe #1 chana masala adds its warm spice at the end so it stays bright, and a modest handful of greens is a classic chole-palak move ours was missing.

    ChangedShifted the cinnamon to a late-simmer finish, kept the earthy spices blooming up front, added the acid off the heat, and folded in a cup of spinach that disappears into the dark gravy.

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