Creamy Chickpea Masala

Inspired by the classic, Chana masala, but with a creamy twist

It’s another weeknight vegan dinner 🍛🔥

This is creamy chickpea masala with basmati rice, fresh cilantro, and lime, a dish very much inspired by the classic Chana masala.

Fragrant, aromatic, savory, spicy, slightly tangy, and so comforting. It’s also a very easy recipe, so let’s get into it.

FULL RECIPE

ingredients

neutral cooking oil, salt, and pepper, as specified in the preparation instructions

1 yellow onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 Serrano chilies, de-seeded and minced

2 bay leaves

1 cinnamon stick

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp turmeric

3 to 4 cups tomato sauce (or you can make the tomato sauce from scratch with 1.5 lbs fresh tomatoes; will provide instructions below)

1/3 cup cashews

3 cups water

1 can (15.5oz) garbanzo beans, drained, rinsed, and dried with a towel (I peeled the skins off mine but that’s optional because it can be a royal pain in the ass)

cooked basmati rice

chopped fresh cilantro and plain vegan yogurt for topping

preparation

NOTE: to scratch make the tomato sauce, you can either roast tomatoes (as shown the instructions below) and then add those to a blender with all the other sauce ingredients, OR you can just add 3 to 4 cups store bought plain tomato sauce to the blender with all the ingredients)

preheat an oven to 450F. add 1.5 lbs tomatoes to a parchment-lined roasting tray. drizzle cooking oil over the all the tomatoes, then season with a few pinches of salt and black pepper to taste. place in the oven to roast 30 mins.

while the tomatoes roast, prep all the veggies including onion, garlic, and serrano chili.

place a saucepan over medium heat and allow to warm 3 to 4 mins. pour in 2 tbsp neutral cooking oil. throw in the onion, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick. season with 2 pinches of salt plus a few grinds fresh black pepper. stir in and cook down 2 minutes. next add all the remaining spices and stir in another 1 minute. add the garlic plus serrano chili, stir in, and continue cooking down another 2 to 3 minutes. remove the bay leaf plus cinnamon stick and de-glaze with the juice of half a lime. stir around, then set the pan aside.

the tomatoes should be done roasting in the oven by this point.

now grab a blender and add the roasted tomatoes, sautéed veggies plus spices, 1/3 cup cashews, 3 cups water, and 1 tsp salt. blend until creamy smooth, then transfer back into the same pan from before over medium heat. bring the sauce to a simmer, then add the chickpeas and stir in. reduce heat to medium-low, cover with a lid, and continue cooking another 15 minutes.

plate the chickpea masala with the basmati rice, fresh cilantro, lime wedges and vegan plain yogurt. dig in and enjoy, my friends 🙏