Chana Butter Masala – How to make Chana Masala

Chana Butter Masala is just another homestyle makhani gravy which pairs well with chapati, roti or paratha… usually i add paneer today that butter masala had chana in it for a change. I’ve used a simple low fat version of butter masala using less butter, no cream and few nuts… 😆

Some veg style gravy recipes to try…

1. Pudina Palak Paneer
2. Gobi Butter Masala
3. Chana Paneer
4. Green Peas Masala
5. Dal Makhani

Ingredients for grinding

1. Onion – 1 cup (roughly chopped)
2. Tomato – 1/2 cup
3. Green Chili – 4
4. Ginger – 1 inch pieces
5. Garlic – 3 cloves
6. Kasuri methi leaves – 1 teaspoon
7. Cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon
8. Butter – 1 teaspoon
9. Oil – 1 tablespoon
10. Cashews – 4 whole

Ingredients for the masala

1. Cooked Chana / Chickepeas / Garbanzo beans – 1 cup
2. Onion – 1/2 cup big chunks
3. Cumin seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
4. Turmeric powder – 1/2 teaspoon
5. Kashmir Chili powder – 2 teaspoons
6. Coriander powder – 1/2 teaspoon
7. Salt – 1 teaspoon
8. Sugar – 1/2 teaspoon
9. Butter – 1/2 teaspoon
10. Coriander leaves – 1 tablespoon (chopped)

Lets see how to make this Chana Butter Masala..

Heat oil & butter from table-1 and start sauteing the roughly chopped onion, garlic, ginger, green chili, cumin seeds, kasuri methi. Saute till the onion becomes lightly brown and translucent.

Add in the chopped tomatoes and cook till it becomes soft. Switch off and cool a bit.

Grind the sauteed onion tomato mixture along with cashews and some water. Do not add too much water, just what is needed to run your mixer.

Now heat oil & butter from table-2 in a wide pan. Saute the onion chunks… a little bit and then add in the ground paste. Saute well till the raw smell goes off. (Adding onion chunks is a personal preference… i like my gravy that way with little crunch here and there instead of being a paste…This is totally optional and you may include if you like it)

Now add in turmeric powder, kashmir chili powder, coriander powder, sugar & salt.

Again saute over low flame till the masala gets cooked in… and gravy will thicken.

At this stage add in the cooked chana along with the water in which it got cooked.

The gravy will become watery again… cook over high flame to get the chana coated with the masala and switch off when it reaches the desired gravy consistency.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve.

We had this masala with soft rumali roti…some sliced raw onion and lemon wedges!

Notes

• Serves 4
• Butter can be substituted with ghee or oil if it concerns you.
• This is very simple homestyle butter masala… you may add a little garam masala powder to spike it up!