Chana Masala is the quintessential restaurant dish, a vegetarian favorite made with chickpeas in a spicy tomato, ginger-garlic onion gravy. With so many people at home due to COVID-19, and trips to the grocery store limited, I wanted to create a recipe for chana masala, that is quick and easy, using mostly shelf-stable pantry essentials. The curry has a flavorful tomato gravy and comes together quickly in the instant pot or stovetop. I’ve provided instructions for both.
How does this differ from regular chana masala?
For one, most of the ingredients used are canned. Canned chickpeas and canned tomatoes. This allows the dish to come together quickly to have a delicious, healthy and hearty meal in minutes. I also opted to use ground garam masala instead of the whole spices which I typically use, with the exception of cinnamon stick. If you don’t have cinnamon stick, feel free to omit or add a tsp of ground cinnamon.
Instant Pot vs. Stovetop
In the recipe, I have provided instructions for both Instantpot and stovetop. Both methods take about the same amount of time. The benefit of using an instant pot is that you can leave it, walk away and go about your day and not have to worry about the food burning.
Shelf-stable pantry staples
Most of these ingredients have a long shelf life. Meaning, if fresh produce is unavailable at your local grocery store, you can still create a dish that tastes authentic and bright.
- Canned chickpeas – a good source of protein, stays on the shelf forever. Remember to drain and rinse to rid the chickpeas of some of their gas-producing properties.
- Canned tomatoes– My favorite are Muir Glen Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes for a rich tomatoey gravy, however you may use whichever canned tomatoes you desire.
- Onions – Onions have a shelf-life of 10 days on the countertop or 1-2 months in the fridge. My preference is red onion for the sweetness, but feel free to use whichever onions you like.
- Ginger-garlic paste – For this recipe I used jarred ginger-garlic paste. It stays well in the refrigerator for months. You may also grate 2 cloves of garlic and 1 tsp ginger if you prefer and have those items available.
- Spices – Spices used in this recipe are red chili powder, turmeric, cumin seeds, garam masala and cinnamon stick. Spices stay fragrant for up to 6 months, and sometimes even longer.
Enjoy this recipe with rice, roti or naan (fresh or frozen).
Quick and Easy Chana Masala (Instant Pot and Stovetop)
Ingredients
- 2 16 oz. cans chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 2 16 oz. cans fire roasted diced tomatoes or any diced tomatoes
- 1 medium red onion diced
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste or 2 cloves garlic and 1 tsp ginger grated
- 1 tsp sugar of choice
- salt to taste
- ½ cup for garnish cilantro for garnish
Spices
- ½ stick cinnamon
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp red chili powder to taste
- 1 tsp garam masala powder
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions
- Set Instant Pot to saute setting and add 2-3 tbsp mild oil like grapeseed or sunflower and 1 tsp cumin seeds.
- Once cumin seeds sputter, add onions and allow them to saute until translucent, about 2 minutes.
- Add 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste and stir. Add ground spices: turmeric, red chili powder and garam masala.
- Add the diced tomatoes and 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp salt. The sugar cuts the acidity of the diced tomatoes.
- Stir and allow to reduce for 3-4 minutes.
- Add chickpeas, cinnamon stick and 1/2-3/4 cup water.
- Cover and set the instant pot to manual for 6 minutes. Quick release the steam pressure.
- Carefully open the lid and simmer on saute setting for another 5-7 minutes. This step is optional, but allows the chana masala to thicken nicely.
- Adjust salt to taste and garnish with cilantro.
Stovetop instructions
- Place a medium-large pot on the stove and set to medium-high setting.
- Repeat steps 1-6 above for the stovetop.
- Instead of a 6 minutes pressure cook, simmer chana masala on medium for 15-20 minutes until gravy thickens up nicely.
- Adjust seasoning and garnish with cilantro.
Notes
- For a larger group, feel free to add 1 more can of chickpeas. Add additional water and salt to allow the gravy to thicken and season evenly. No additional tomatoes are necessary.
- Recipe freezes well for several months or stays fresh for up to a week in the refrigerator.
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