Chana Masala

A flavorful and spicy Indian dish made with chickpeas, tomatoes, and a blend of aromatic spices.

Ingredients

• 1 small red onion, quartered
• 10 sprigs fresh cilantro, stems and leaves separated
• 1 ½ -inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped coarse
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped coarse
• 2 serrano chilies, stemmed, halved, seeded, and sliced thin crosswise, divided
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 14.5 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
• 2 (15 ounce) cans chickpeas, undrained
• 1 ½ teaspoons garam masala
• ½ teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Coarsely chop three-quarters of an onion into coarse pieces, reserving the rest for later use as a garnish. Cut the cilantro stems into 1-inch lengths.
2. In a food processor, combine the chopped onion, cilantro stems, ginger, garlic, and half of the serranos. Process until finely chopped, about 20 seconds, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
3. Combine onion mixture and oil in a large saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the onion is fully softened and starting to stick to the saucepan, 5 to 7 minutes.
4. While the onion mixture cooks, process the tomatoes and their juice in the now-empty food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds.
5. Add paprika, cumin, turmeric, and fennel seeds to the onion mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
6. Stir in the chickpeas and their liquid, as well as the processed tomatoes. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
7. While the mixture simmers, finely chop the reserved onion.
8. Stir garam masala and salt into the chickpea mixture and continue to cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally until the chickpeas are softened and the sauce is thickened, 8 to 12 minutes.
9. Season with salt to taste and transfer to wide, shallow serving bowls.
10. Sprinkle with the chopped onion, remaining serranos, and cilantro leaves.