30 Minute Supermarket Chana Masala

I love Indian food! We are lucky to have some really good Indian restaurants in the Boston area and take advantage of them at least several times a month, but the food can be really heavy, so I love to make my own interpretations at home.

Click HERE for my amazing Spicy Tomato Onion Chutney recipe!

This is a super fast dish that will taste like it’s been simmering for a while. I purposely picked ingredients that are available in a regular supermarket. Traditional Chana Masala uses amchor to give it a lovely sour kick. I have replaced the amchor with lemon juice and added lemon zest for a lovely little explosion of flavor in your mouth. When you are cooking food fast, little things like lemon zest and cumin seeds dance around on your palate, which is very satisfying.

To make this a one-pot stew, increase the curry powder to 2 tbsp., the salsa to 3 cups, the soy sauce to 3 tbsp., and add a 16 oz. bag of frozen cauliflower when you add the chickpeas. Serve over rice for a full meal. This dish also freezes very well, so feel free to double it and freeze the second batch! Cook once, eat twice! I like to portion my second batch into 1.5 cup servings so I can pull one out whenever I want a fast meal.

30 Minute Supermarket Chana Masala- serves 4

• 2 tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp. ground coriander
• 1 tbsp. curry powder
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp paprika
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 serrano chili pepper, minced, seeds removed if you don’t want heat (omit or add more depending on personal taste.)
• 8 cloves garlic, pressed
• Several pinches salt/freshly ground pepper
• 1 tbsp. chopped, fresh ginger
• 2 cups salsa*
• 1 cup light canned coconut milk (or half cup regular coconut milk mixed with ½ cup water, you can also use full fat if you want)
•  1 29 oz. can chickpeas (or around 3 cups cooked chickpeas) **
• Water or vegetable broth as needed
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp lemon zest (optional) Tip: peel lemon zest with a peeler, making sure not to get any of the white pith and keep in the freezer.
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 cup cilantro
• Salt/Pepper to taste

Method:

1. In a large skillet over medium heat add the oil and spices. Toast spices for 20 seconds or so, then add the onion, serrano, and garlic along with a good pinch salt and pepper.
2. Cook for around 10 minutes, then add the ginger, salsa and coconut milk and chickpeas.
3. If the mixture looks dry, add some water or broth as needed
4. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring several times and adding broth as needed.
5. Take off heat, stir in soy sauce, lemon juice/zest and cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning.

*The salsa brings all of the flavors together; allowing the dish to taste like it’s been cooked longer. If you don’t have salsa, you can use canned, crushed tomatoes.

**You can choose to drain the chickpeas or not based on personal preference.

Serve over rice.