Chana Masala

This quick and easy recipe is made using mostly ingredients you can find in your cupboard. Lots of the ingredients can be substituted too, which makes it a great recipe to make at the moment while the supermarket stock is a little unpredictable, and we’re unable to get out to the shops as often as we would usually. We’ve included ideas for substitute ingredients at the bottom of this recipe.

Chana Masala can be served as a side dish, or as a main with some wholegrain rice. (Check out our video for how to cook perfect rice!)

1. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion and saute for about 3 minutes.
2. Add the chilli, garlic, ginger, garam masala, coriander, cumin and turmeric and stir for 2-3 minutes. Add a splash of water if needed to stop the spices from sticking to the pan.
3. Add the tomatoes and their juices, alongside 50-100ml water. Heat the tomatoes for about 5 minutes, crushing them with the back of a spoon.
4. Add chickpeas and a further 400ml water. Leave to simmer covered for 20 minutes.
5. Add lemon juice and cayenne pepper if using and stir.

This recipe serves 4, and each serving contains:

Energy: 217kcal
Carbohydrate: 28g
Sugars: 8.4g
Protein: 11g
Fat: 7g
Saturated fat: 0.9g
Salt: 0.07g

If eating with 180g cooked wholegrain rice, each serving will contain:

Energy: 449kcal
Carbohydrate: 76g
Sugars: 8.6g
Protein: 18g
Fat: 9g
Saturated fat: 1.2g
Salt: 0.09g

Can’t find everything you need? Try these swaps:

• Onions – 2 cups of frozen, diced onion
• Garlic – 1 tbsp frozen, chopped garlic
• Ginger – 1 tbsp frozen, chopped ginger
• Chillies – chilli powder or chilli flakes, start off with ½-1 tsp and add more depending on how spicy you like it!
• Tomatoes – ½ tin chopped tomatoes
• Lemon juice – 1 tbsp bottle lemon juice