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Mum's 'signature' Eid chana masala recipe

Mum's 'signature' Eid chana masala recipe

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81 ratings

This chickpea curry recipe is Sabrina's mum's signature dish. After years of experimenting with different ingredients this has become the recipe she's best known for and it always makes an appearance at family gatherings, and as part of Eid. With deep aromatic flavours and a satisfyingly thick sauce, it's no surprise that it's everyone's favourite, especially for Sabrina and her siblings. See method

  • Serves 4
  • 5 mins to prepare and 55 mins to cook
  • 497 calories / serving
  • Healthy
  • Vegetarian
  • Gluten-free
  • Dairy-free

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 4 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 25g piece ginger, peeled and grated
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • 227g tin chopped tomatoes
  • ½ tsp tandoori powder
  • 1½ tsp ground coriander
  • 1½ tsp ground cumin
  • 1½ tsp paprika
  • ½ tsp mild chilli powder
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 2 x 400g tins chickpeas, drained
  • 300g basmati rice, to serve
  • 1 tsp ground fenugreek
  • handful fresh coriander

Each serving contains

  • Energy

    2105kj
    497kcal     25%

  • Fat

    11g 16%

  • Saturates

    1g 6%

  • Sugars

    7g 8%

  • Salt

    1.4g 23%

of the reference intake
Carbohydrate 91g Protein 18g Fibre 10g

Method

Sabrina 155x255
  1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Fry the cumin seeds, coriander seeds and mustard seeds for 10 secs, until they start to pop.
  2. Turn the heat down slightly, then add the garlic and ginger and fry for 1 min, stirring continuously to soften. Add the onions and fry for 10 mins, stirring often, until very soft.
  3. Pour in the tomatoes, lower the heat and cook for 15 mins, until cooked to a paste-like consistency; there shouldn’t be any big chunks of tomatoes at this stage.
  4. Add the tandoori powder, ground coriander, ground cumin, paprika, chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala and a pinch of salt and cook for 3 mins, stirring constantly.
  5. Tip in the chickpeas and mix well. Add 500ml (17 1/2fl oz) water, bring to the boil, then simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 mins and reduce to a thick consistency for the sauce. Meanwhile, cook the rice following pack instructions.
  6. Add the ground fenugreek for the final 5 mins of cooking. Garnish with whole or chopped coriander leaves and serve with the rice.

Little help

Peel ginger with a spoon - the skin is very thin, which makes it easy enough to just scrape off.

Leftovers

Whizz any leftover coriander and ginger together with a couple of peeled and cored apples, half a cucumber, 100ml (3 1/4oz) cold water, and 2 tbsp honey for a delicious summer smoothie.

We cannot guarantee that all ingredients needed for this recipe are certified halal. Please check that products are certified halal before purchase.

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