Channa Masala (Indian chickpea chili)

Just made my first batch of Channa Masala and oh lordy am I hooked!  If you plan ahead and soak the chickpeas overnight, you can simmer them up the next day in 30-40 minutes. I simmered my chickpeas/garbanzo beans this morning and let them cool so they would be ready for dinner tonight.  I do not think canned chickpeas will do this dish justice, so take the time to cook up your own--it is so worth it and it makes the Channa Masala taste so fresh and more flavorful. 

What you need:
4 cups cooked chickpeas or two cans of chickpeas
2 tablespoons Channa Masala seasoning blend
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch fresh ginger, minced
2 Fresno chiles sliced or 1 serano chile, seeded and chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped or 1 can cut tomatoes
1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 tablespoons mango chutney
2/3 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped cilantro for garnish

What I did:

Saute onions in coconut oil--instantly your house will smell so good! Add garlic, ginger and chiles. Stir for a few minutes. Add Channa Masala seasoning blend and cumin seeds. Toast the spices and coat the onion mixture. Add the tomatoes and stir. Season with salt and pepper. Add chickpeas and stir to coat with spices.  Add water and simmer for 10 minutes so the tomatoes breakdown and create a light sauce. Add mango chutney and simmer for a few more minutes. Adjust seasoning with more salt if needed. Garnish with cilantro. Serve over rice and/or with naan or paratha.

This Channa Masala is so good and filling.  It is so unbelievably flavorful and satisfying and very simple to make--once you have the chickpeas cooked, this dish can be thrown together very quickly, in well under 20 minutes, including prep/chopping time.  I need to make a double batch of this next time because there were hardly any leftovers! I love the slight tanginess from the mango chutney and the hint of spice from the chiles and of course, I love the cilantro! Channa Masala has a great balance of flavors and is so worth making at home--if we were to order this at an Indian restaurant, it would have been $9-11 at least!  I made mine with dried chickpeas, which cost way less than canned chickpeas, so this meal was very budget friendly!  Channa Masala is definitely going to be a new staple for me! (And if I get lazy or am short on time, I will have to use canned chickpeas, but I know it won't taste the same because it won't have the full flavor and "meatiness" or "al dente" bite of  homecooked chickpeas.)

With dishes like this Channa Masala, it is easy to stick with Vegan meals and non-Vegans will even appreciate this dish because it is so tasty! I'm tellin' ya, cooking your own chickpeas makes ALL the difference--the earthy, full taste of homemade chickpeas is so different from canned chickpeas, which are too salty and mushy.

This is another great dish to take to potlucks because it doesn't have to be served screaming hot and can be eaten at room temperature--plus you don't have to worry about anything going bad! I am thinking about throwing some of the leftovers in the food processor and using it as a dip or spread...doesn't that sound good?