Chana masala (chickpea curry) Instant Pot and stovetop variations

**Update: Now that I have an Instant Pot, I've added an Instant Pot version of this recipe. The Instant Pot really excels at cooking beans! They are more evenly cooked and flavored than the original recipe. Also, I returned to Masala Zone this year, nearly ten years after my original post, and sadly, they no longer serve their chana masala! Thankfully, I can satisfy my craving from the comfort of my own home!**

I recently spent a couple of weeks in London, and I was incredibly impressed by the Indian food there. I ended up eating Indian at least once a day. When you think about it, the British are not really known for for their cuisine, and they colonize India to get some flavor into their food. The Indian food there is far superior to that in the states--spicier, more richly flavored. The British have been enjoying Indian food long before it became popular in the US, so they have a more sophisticated palate when it comes to that cuisine, and they have a larger, more established Indian population. A few days into my London trip, I had a fantastic chana masala (chickpea curry) at an Indian restaurant, Masala Zone, that I was dying to replicate at home. In fact, for the rest of the trip, part of me could not wait to get home so I could make it. It's a traditional Indian curry that I've had before, but this dish was far better than any other I've tried. The nutty chickpeas were stewed in a thick, almost caramelized tomato sauce that was rich with warm spices.

The recipe I came up with hit all the same notes as the one from Masala Zone. I really like the simplicity of this dish. It is one of the healthiest, cheapest, and most flavorful recipes I've made. It probably costs less than $4 to make and feeds at least 8 people. It will accommodate almost any food restriction. Having a dinner party and one of your friends is allergic to gluten and the other is lactose intolerant or vegan? This is your go-to! To push the health factor further, I tried adding frozen chopped spinach to the leftover curry the next day, and it was amazing! The spinach seems to mellow out the acidity of the tomato and makes for a very well-balanced dish.


Chana Masala 
1 lb dried chickpeas, soaked 8-12 hours

3 T butter

1 large onion, diced

1 T minced garlic

1 T minced ginger
1 bay leaf
2 t cumin

1 t smoked paprika (optional)
2 t ground coriander
1 t cayenne (I like really spicy things. A normal person would probably want 1/2 t)
1 t turmeric

3/4 t ground cardamom
3/4 t cinnamon

1/4 t ground cloves

1.5 t salt, or to taste
black pepper to taste
28 oz can crushed tomatoes

3 cups water
10 oz frozen chopped spinach (optional)
pinch sugar, to taste

Instant Pot instructions
Saute onion in butter on high heat until starting to brown. Add garlic, ginger, and spices, and saute for another couple of minutes until spices have toasted a bit. Add tomatoes and saute for a couple more minutes, until it thickens a bit. This gives it that rich, caramelized flavor I loved at Masala Zone. Drain beans and add to the Instant Pot. Add 3 cups water and stir. Cover, seal pot, and set to Beans/Chili for 35 minutes. Quick release when finished. Stir in spinach, if using. It will thaw immediately. Taste for seasoning and add a pinch of sugar if needed.

Stovetop instructions
In a large Dutch oven, saute onion in butter on high heat until starting to brown. Add garlic, ginger, and spices, and saute for another couple of minutes until spices have toasted a bit. Add tomatoes and saute for a couple more minutes, until it thickens a bit. This gives it that rich, caramelized flavor I loved at Masala Zone. Add drained beans and water to the pot. Simmer uncovered for an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes, until beans are tender. You may need to add additional water if beans get dry and start to stick. Stir in spinach, if using. It will thaw immediately. Taste for seasoning and add a pinch of sugar if needed.

Makes approximately 8 servings.