If you are using dry chickpeas, then soak them for a minimum of 8 hours in plain room temperature water.
Once the chana is swelled up after absorbing the water for 8 hours, pressure cook them in salted water until tender. Drain and set aside.
Make a crisscross cut at the bottom of each tomato and then boil them in water for 10 minutes until they become soft.
Drain the water and allow the tomatoes to become cool enough to handle. Then peel each tomato from the cuts you made, chop them in half, deseed and cut into smaller chunks.
Puree all the tomatoes in a blender to make a smooth tomato puree. Set it aside until needed.
Now heat a large heavy bottomed pan and add the oil. Once oil is hot, reduce the flame to low and add all the whole spices – bay leaf, black and green cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon stick and dry red chilies.
Let the spices become fragrant for a minute. Then add the chopped onions and fry them in oil on medium-high flame for a good 4 to 5 minutes until the onions turn translucent and light golden.
Now add the green chillies, ginger paste and garlic paste. Sauté them for 5 to 6 minutes on medium flame until the raw smell of the aromatics are gone and the onions turn golden brown and somewhat crispy.
Now it’s time to add the homemade tomato puree. Pour in the tomato puree and add the sugar which will help balance the tartness of the tomatoes.
Continue cooking on medium flame until all the liquid is absorbed and oil starts to release.
While the tomato puree is getting cooked, take a small mixing bowl and add all the powdered spices to it - turmeric, cumin, coriander and Kashmiri red chili powder. Add a few teaspoons of water to the bowl and whisk them using a spoon to make a smooth spice paste.
Now add the spice paste to the cooking pot once the tomato puree is cooked and dry. Sauté the spices on high heat for 2 to 3 minutes until the spices are nicely cooked and oil starts to resurface.
At this stage, add the cooked chana to the cooking pan and stir them thoroughly to mix with all the spices and aromatics. Ensure all the chickpeas are evenly coated with the spice mixture.
Continue stir frying the chana for 6 to 8 minutes on medium flame. Then add about 1 to 1 & half cups of hot water to the pan making sure that all the chickpeas remain inside the liquid.
Add salt to taste and let the liquid come to a full boil. Then cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and let the chana masala simmer on low heat for at least 15 minutes. This will allow the chanas to soak up all wonderful flavors from the spices.
After about 15 minutes, uncover the pan and stir the chana masala to ensure it isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Check the consistency of the gravy; if it is too thin, boil off some excess water by leaving it on high flame for a couple of minutes. Check and adjust the seasoning if needed.
When you arrive at your desired consistency of chana masala, sprinkle the garam masala on top, switch off the flame and cover the pot. Leave it on the stove top for 8 to 10 minutes before serving allowing all the flavors to mingle & mature.
When you are ready to serve, transfer the chana masala to a serving bowl, garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and sprinkle a dash of dry mango powder (a.k.a. amchur) for a tangy tick!
Serve the warm chana masala with a squeeze of lemon juice and raw onion rings on the side! Enjoy!
Recipe by Flavor Quotient at https://flavorquotient.com/2024/05/chana-masala-best-ever/