Chana Masala

Here is a good recipe for chana masala that I found on smitten kitchen. I still haven't found a perfect chana masala recipe, but this one is the closest one I've found yet.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  
• 2 medium onions, minced
  
• 1 clove garlic, minced
  
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
  
• 1 fresh, hot green chili pepper, minced
  
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
  
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (I used a quarter of this because my cayenne is extremely hot)
  
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and ground
  
• 1 tablespoon amchoor powder (see note)
  
• 2 teaspoons paprika
  
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
  
• 2 cups tomatoes, chopped small or 1 15-ounce can of whole tomatoes with their juices, chopped small
  
• 2/3 cup water
  
• 4 cups cooked chickpeas or 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/2 lemon (juiced) (see note; I used a whole lemon to swap for the amchoor powder)

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion, garlic, ginger and pepper and sauté over medium heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Turn heat down to medium-low and add the coriander, cumin, cayenne, turmeric, cumin seeds, amchoor (if using it), paprika and garam masala. Cook onion mixture with spiced for a minute or two, then add the tomatoes and any accumulated juices, scraping up any bits that have stuck to the pan.
   
2. Add the water and chickpeas. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, then stir in salt and lemon juice.

Eat. Serves 4-6.