Chana Masala
Chickpeas are an extremely versatile food. They have great nutritional properties and are quite filling. In fact, they easily carry any dish they are a part of, such as this delicious recipe for chana masala. We’ve been making this dish, and variants of it, in the Instant Pot for years now, and it always hits! It just feels good making something this tasty and this good for us.
Ingredients:
1 cup dried chickpeas
4 cups water for soaking
1 cup water for cooking
1 tablespoon avocado oil (or your oil of choice)
2 tablespoons ginger garlic paste
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 Roma tomatoes, diced (or 1 can of tomatoes with juice)
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped (optional)
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon amchur powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
Instructions:
Rinse chickpeas before soaking in water for at least 4 hours or overnight, preferably. Drain and set aside.
Set Instant Pot to high sauté and add oil.
Once the oil heats up, add the onion and stir occasionally until the edges become translucent
Add the ginger garlic paste and mix thoroughly for about a minute before adding the tomato.
Cook and stir for about 3-4 minutes or until the tomato starts to break down.
Add in the salt, ground spices, and chickpeas and mix, then add water.
Once combined, turn off sauté mode and cover with the Instant Pot lid, setting it to manual on high for 35 minutes, and seal the valve.
When it finishes, let the pressure release naturally for 20 minutes before releasing any remaining pressure yourself.
Add cilantro and stir. If you like it a bit thicker, you can use a masher to break it down.
Serve and enjoy!
