My 8-year old nephew visited me earlier this year during spring break. I absolutely adored hanging out with him. He is a bundle of joy. He, however, like my dad, has 1 quirk which we have known since he was a toddler.
He needs his food on time. You promise him dinner at 7, he needs dinner at 7pm. Not 7:05, not 7:10, just 7:00 pm. I was already working on this chana masala hack for the past few years, but during his visit I perfected the recipe. He ate chana masala 5 out of the 7 days he was here. This recipe got a lot of love. I am sharing this with y'all.
One more thing. I think there is a concept that a great chana masala has to have this elaborate spice mix. But, as the lovely Nisha Madhulika (one of my favorite Youtube home cooks) taught me, even a few simple spices can make a lovely dish. The ratio of fat to spices is important + a few other concepts that I hope to explain in the future.
by UpgradeMyFood
3 Comments
Big fan of the regular SE channa masala, excited to see how this one compares!
The thing is, there is a vast difference between a tasty channa masala and a solid one. And the latter does require a more complex spice blend and sometimes (but not always) a longer cook time. A really good channa masala has certain spices that are standard, so using the usual turmeric, coriander, garam masala is not going to cut it. Also, the color here looks not deep enough to me, and I think there are too many shortcuts for my taste. I suppose keeping the western audience in mind is what makes this acceptable, but I also did notice that the author, while Indian, is not from a region that is associated with channa masala (I know because I am from the same region).
The idea of a 10 minute good chana masala is extremely appealing for busy weeknights. Trying this tonight.