Dish · indian
Chana Masala
Chickpeas simmered in an onion and tomato base with cumin and coriander until the sauce clings rather than pools. Often eaten with fried bread as chole bhature, or plain with rice.
Where it comes from
The dish grew out of Punjab and Delhi street-food stalls, where chickpeas were an affordable protein that held up to reheating through a day of service. It traveled with Partition-era migration into a wider North Indian repertoire.
What cooks argue about
Cooks argue over how to darken and sour the chickpeas: dried pomegranate seeds or amchur powder, a tea bag simmered in for color, or tomato alone with no extra souring.
Versions
Nobody has published a chana masala here yet. When somebody cooks one from a video and publishes it, their version appears in this list, with a link back to the original.
What goes in it
Each one opens everything else made with it.
chickpeas
onion
cumin ground
coriander ground