Chana Masala

Tangy, dark, and a little smoky, with chickpeas that have soaked up everything around them. I keep dried chickpeas in the pantry for this — they hold their shape better than canned and the cooking liquid becomes part of the sauce. But canned will get you there on a weeknight; nobody has to know.

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight (or two 15-oz cans, drained)
• 1 black tea bag (optional, for color)
• 3 tablespoons neutral oil or ghee
• 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1-inch piece ginger, grated
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 green chile, slit
• 2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped (or 1 cup canned crushed)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri chile powder (or smoked paprika)
• 1 teaspoon amchur (dried mango powder), or juice of 1/2 lemon at the end
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• Kosher salt
• Cilantro and sliced red onion, for serving

Method

1. If using dried chickpeas: drain and rinse, then simmer in a large pot with the tea bag and enough water to cover by 2 inches until very tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Save 1 cup of cooking liquid; discard the tea bag. If using canned, just rinse and set aside; use 1 cup water in step 5.
2. Heat oil in a wide, heavy pot over medium-high. Add the onion and cook until deeply golden, 10 to 12 minutes. This is where the flavor lives — don't rush it.
3. Add ginger, garlic, and chile. Stir for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and a pinch of salt. Cook until they break down and the oil starts to separate at the edges, 6 to 8 minutes.
4. Stir in cumin, coriander, turmeric, and chile powder. Toast for 30 seconds.
5. Tip in the chickpeas and 1 cup of the reserved cooking liquid (or water). Season with salt. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, mashing about a quarter of the chickpeas against the side of the pot to thicken the sauce.
6. Finish with amchur (or lemon juice) and garam masala. Taste, adjust salt and acid. Top with cilantro and red onion, and serve with rice or bhatura.

A note: Don't skip the tea bag if you're going from dried — it deepens the color to that classic restaurant-style brown without changing the flavor.