Chana Masala | Punjabi Chole Masala

This Punjabi Chana Masala or Chole Masala is an authentic North Indian style Chickpea Curry made with white chickpeas, freshly powdered spices, onions, tomatoes and herbs.

Chana masala is a naturally vegan recipe with added health benefits of the chickpeas which are packed full of protein, minerals and fiber.

Check out Chana Masala Video hat is Chana this Chole Masala Recipe

2. Soaking Chickpeas
3. Tips & Substitutes
4. How to make Chana Masala (Stepwise Photos)
5. Recipe Card for Chana Masala | Indian Chickpea Curry
6. Step-by-step Instant Pot Chickpea Curry (Stepwise Photos)
7. Recipe Card for Instant Pot Chana Masala

What is Chana Masala?

Chana Masala is a popular Indian dish of white chickpeas in a spicy and tangy gravy. In North India, chana masala is called as ‘chole masala’ or simply ‘chole’.

Both the words “Chana” and “Chole” refer to chickpeas. In Hindi language, the word “Masala” means a mixture of spices. In chana masala – specifically the word ‘masala’ means a mixture of ground spices.

There are many variations of making chana masala, but I like the Punjabi chana recipe shared here the most. It tastes like the chana masala you get in the streets of Delhi and Punjab.

Across India, chickpea curries are made in various styles. Of the many chickpea curry recipes I have shared, majority of them are vegan or can easily be veganized.

More Indian chickpea curries for you!

8 HRS 45 MINS

Vegan Recipes

Amritsari Chole

8 HRS 30 MINS

Vegan Recipes

Pindi Chole | Vegan Pindi Chana

MODERATE • 8 HRS 30 MINS

Chickpeas

Chole Paneer | Cottage Cheese With Chickpeas

MODERATE • 8 HRS 45 MINS

Vegan Recipes

Palak Chole | Spinach With Chickpeas

About this Chole Masala Recipe

This chickpea curry recipe was originally inspired and adapted from Anita’s blog and posted in 2009. Yes, over ten years ago!

Since the original posting, I have continued to perfect the recipe, making changes in proportions as well as ingredients.

The result is this recipe, which gives a chana masala that has a good balance of spiciness, taste and flavor. In the process, I also updated the pictures in the post and added a video.

This is one easy and yet lip smacking Punjabi chana masala recipe which tastes awesome. It is one of the most tried and tested delicious chickpea curry recipes on the blog. It has been made innumerable times by me as well as by many readers.

This chana masala recipe reminds me of Chole Bhature, which is our favorite dish. Chole Bhature is a Punjabi chickpea curry dish that is served with a fried leavened puffed bread known as “Bhature”.

When living in Delhi and Gurgaon, we would get awesome chole bhature in many places.

Since I do not live in these places any more, I would crave for the street style chole bhature and this chana masala curry fits in perfectly.

It tastes exactly like the North Indian street side chickpea curry, minus the heat, since we don’t prefer our food to be too spicy.

However if you prefer spicier food, increase the quantity of red chili powder, green chillies and garam masala powder to get the extra spice and heat.

Soaking Chickpeas

While making any chickpea or Rajma (Kidney Bean Curry), it is always better to soak the chickpeas overnight or at least for 8 hours as then it is easier to cook them.

Soaking beans or chickpeas reduce the phytic acid which causes bloating and flatulence.

Pro Tip: If you have forgotten to soak the chickpeas, then add the chickpeas to hot boiled water. Cover and soak for 1 to 2 hours.

I would always suggest to soak chickpeas and not directly cook the dried chickpeas.

Soaking also reduces the cooking time and ensures that the chickpeas are really softened well. This not only gives a good texture but the chickpeas also become easy to digest.

Tips

Tips & Substitutes

• Dried Amla (Dried Indian Gooseberry) and Dry Pomegranate Seeds: The dried amla gives a dark color to the chole, along with a light tang. The pomegranate seeds give a sour taste. Find these ingredients at Indian specialty food stores or online at amazon.com.
• If you cannot find these ingredients, add dry mango powder (amchur powder) towards the end. In the absence of amchur powder, you can also squeeze some lime juice towards the end.
• You can also use a black tea bag to achieve the darker color. If you are not fussy about the dark color, then just cook the chickpeas in water with some salt.
• Chana Masala Spices: what contributes to the flavors and aroma of this dish are the freshly ground chole masala spices. The whole spices are roasted until they get extra browned and are later ground. This chole masala spice powder is then blended with a sautéed onion-ginger-tomato mixture. that makes the chickpea curry more flavorful.