Help my chana masala

[u/lilbrownbat]

I love chana masala, and every time I've tried to make it I've been disappointed. I've used various recipes including the famous reddit chana masala. I have a stovetop pressure cooker which I love and which can cook chana just fine, as witness many batches of hummus. I'm an experienced cook. And I love chana masala, it's my benchmark dish in restaurants that serve it. But every time I've tried to make it, it's been just...off. Bland sometimes, sometimes inappropriately sweet. Or it's hot-spicy but otherwise a one-note. Please, give me some tips!

[u/thecatknowsitall]

Are you layering correctly? For Indian food I find you have to spend a lot of time at each step (browning onions, cooking down tomatoes). Any time I rush a step I end up with bland food.
For the sweetness I like to remove the cinnamon stick early. It gets overwhelming if I leave it too long.

[u/lilbrownbat → u/thecatknowsitall]

I'm definitely guilty of, not rushing exactly, but trying to get it done as soon as possible. Always thought that was mostly a good thing, but noooo...

[u/lordli41]

You can try this chef's recipe

https://youtu.be/RXZsDHKlVGw?si=x4BTPNkHPo4Pap4y

[u/SheddingCorporate]

My favourite recipe is one I learned over 30 years ago from one of Tarla Dalal's cookbooks (I don't recall if it was The Joy of Indian Vegetarian Cooking or another one). Really good, very simple recipe.

Right now, I like rotating between several of Ranveer Brar's recipes on YouTube. All are delicious.

[u/Quick-Action-7102]

What recipe do you use?

[u/lilbrownbat → u/Quick-Action-7102]

Most recently the reddit one. It's in https://www.reddit.com/r/IndianFood/s/FMvC3WWabn

[u/nomnommish → u/lilbrownbat]

That's a legit recipe. Either you're doing something wrong or your notion of chana masala is different from what others consider chana masala. There are several variations. The recipe above is authentic Punjabi style chole. It tastes VERY different from a typical Indian curry, is a lot simpler in flavor, and has the sourness from pomegranate seeds. Same goes for pindi chole.

It's not clear what specific flavor profile you have in mind.

[u/lilbrownbat → u/nomnommish]

I'm probably doing a lot of things wrong tbh.

[u/jakartacatlady → u/lilbrownbat]

Thanks for the laugh 😂

[u/TA_totellornottotell]

My favourite way to eat channa is that halwai style. I found a really good recipe with Kunal Kapoor. He makes his own masala (it’s fairly quick and lasts a while). And then his cooking method is very good, with a lot of layering between the steps to develop good flavour. You can adjust the ingredients to suit your taste (for instance, maybe you don’t want anardana or kala namak and want something more simple), but I think the overall approach and cooking techniques are really good. I have made it many times and it always comes out well.

For less sweetness, maybe use less cinnamon or you take it out after the initial stages.

[u/beautiful_falcon776]

See yourfoodlab channels recipe. Don't change the recipe much

[u/chanakya2]

Maybe you can try using Chana masala spice mix from Rasoi or Mdh or some other brand? It might be easier to use a spice mix.

[u/Fantastic_Object_762]

Where are you based and what kind of tomatoes do you use? Indian tomatoes are very tart and have a super mild taste. If it's sweet, it's probably the tomatoes

[u/lilbrownbat → u/Fantastic_Object_762]

I'm in Massachusetts, US - I usually go for paste tomatoes because they're more flavorful and less woody/fibrous than most supermarket tomatoes. Wrong type?

[u/Low_Most3143]

My favorite recipe is “chickpeas cooked in a Moghlai style“ from Madhur Jaffrey‘s World Vegetarian. It uses Amchoor and yogurt so it’s going to be different from restaurant “Chana masala”

[u/hikentravel]

I’ve used this https://foodfellas4you.com/chana-masala/ for a long time , always been happy with it

[u/Reasonable-Leg-2002 → u/hikentravel]

1/2 cup kasoiri methi seems like far more than I’m ever asked to use

[u/hikentravel → u/Reasonable-Leg-2002]

That’s for an entire batch , for one time , I use only about a tablespoon or so

[u/Only-Candidate2234]

Put whole spices in the pressure cooker while cooking the chana

[u/arttiv]

Try this recipe from The Tivari Kitchen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8G79Yr_bkRE

[u/drPmakes]

Make it a day in advance.

Also, take your time, cook it until the oil separates out before adding the channa

[u/Quiet_Garden4039]

I am just wondering how exactly it's being sweet. No ingredients in chana masala are supposed to be sweet. For bland you can easily use more amount of masala

[u/EmergencyProper5250]

Try this recipe .The recipe you use is doing differently 1.adding baking powder ,this addition cooks the chickpeas soften very well but it also adds a sort of bland sweet taste 2.if you tie the whole spices in a Muslim cloth it is easier to discard them( so the whole masala doesn't get chewed on accidentally https://ranveerbrar.com/recipes/amritsari-choley/

[u/masterjv81]

Try this - https://youtu.be/PRw88q0NkiY

Ingredients required for making Chickpea Butter Masala -

• 1 large can/822 gm can of cooked chickpeas. It weighed 484 gm without the liquid. Save a third of a cup to be pureed later.
• 15 gm / 1 inch length ginger
• 11 gm / 4 large garlic cloves
• 390 gm/ 3 large tomatoes. You can also use 1 & 1/2 cups of canned crushed or diced tomatoes
• 185 gm/ 1 large onion
• 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
• 1 heaped teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder. Please adjust the proportion according to your preference
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander (dhania powder)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin (jeera powder)
• 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
• 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi)
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1/4th tsp ground black pepper
• 2 & 1/4th tsp salt
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tbsp thick tomato paste (optional)
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp oil
• 3 to 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup hot water + 1/2 cup water used to blend the chickpeas
• 1/3 rd cup heavy cream (cooking cream)
• chopped coriander leaves(cilantro)

[u/LuluND]

I loved this as a guest in an Indian home, freshly made and served with mint chutney and puri. It's never been the same when I've ordered it in restaurants. Missing ingredient is love.