Chana Masala

A North Indian chickpea curry simmered with tomatoes, onions, ginger, garlic, and warm spices. This vegan one-serving version uses ingredients commonly found in Philippine groceries and palengke stalls.

Estimated cost: ₱145–₱170

Total 30 min · Serves 1

Nutrition per serving: 450 kcal · 18 g protein · 63 g carbs · 14 g fat

Ingredients

• 180g canned chickpeas
• 120g tomato
• 60g red onion
• 2 tsp cooking oil
• 10g cilantro
• 2 pieces calamansi
• 1 piece green chili
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 thumb-sized piece ginger
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• to taste salt
• to taste ground black pepper
• as needed water

Steps

1. Drain and rinse the chickpeas well, then set them aside. Chop the tomato, slice the red onion, mince the garlic, grate the ginger, slice the green chili, and chop the cilantro.
2. Heat the cooking oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the red onion and cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring often, until softened and lightly golden at the edges.
3. Add the garlic, ginger, and green chili. Sauté for about 1 minute until fragrant, making sure the garlic does not brown too much.
4. Lower the heat to medium-low. Add the curry powder, ground cumin, paprika, ground black pepper, and salt, then stir for 20–30 seconds until the spices smell toasted.
5. Add the tomato and cook for 5–6 minutes, stirring and pressing it with the spoon, until it breaks down into a thick, saucy base and the oil starts to separate slightly at the edges.
6. Add the chickpeas and enough water to loosen the sauce. Stir well, scraping the bottom of the pan to lift any browned spice bits.
7. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then lower to medium-low and cook for 10–12 minutes until the chickpeas absorb the flavor and the sauce becomes thick enough to coat them.
8. Lightly mash a few chickpeas against the side of the pan to naturally thicken the curry, then simmer for 1–2 minutes more.
9. Turn off the heat and squeeze in the calamansi. Taste and adjust salt or pepper if needed.
10. Sprinkle with cilantro and let the chana masala rest for 2 minutes before serving so the spices settle into the sauce.

Prices are estimates based on Department of Agriculture price monitoring. Nutrition is estimated from ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central, FNRI).