Super Simple Slow Cooker Channa Masala
Done in the slow cooker, this super simple channa masala is a perfect friend on a weeknight. Other than a little bit of planning, it is a mostly hands off recipe. One that has been with me for a long time.
In India, this dish actually has a super simple name – chole. Which, simply means chickpeas. There are many variations to cooking chickpeas the Indian way, and this is one of them.
The Story of my Super Simple Chana Masala for the Slow Cooker
This slow cooker version is created for my friend Juliana. She does not enjoy cooking but has been giving the slow cooker a try. Given her love for Indian food she might just get as hooked on to this recipe as the rest of my family. This dish like her is reliable, comforting and totally unpretentious but never fails to hit the spot. I am using the same psychology with her as I often do with my seven-year-old. A carrot and a stick technique.
In that I am using her love for the slow cooker to persuade her to try Indian cooking.
Aadi loves geography and is very good at it. Much better than can be expected from his relatively young years. To compensate, I am just as bad at geography. This makes the little one keep trying fun ways to try to teach me the spread of the world. Yesterday, he even gave me a sticker for my efforts. In turn, when I get the sticker, I ask him to eat something he is not super-hot about.
Well, back to the dish itself, it has a bit of a history. This version that I make anyway.
How I learnt about the slow cooker
Many moons ago, at graduate school I was invited to an international potluck and asked to bring something for thirty people. Those days I did not quite have the ability to toss things together the way I do today. I also had a more frugal culinary budget and cooking for thirty people seemed like such a daunting number.
To allay my fears, my friend Lina offered me her slow cooker. Now, I was not sure what to do with it. I had seen her throw things into it and actually serve herself and some of us some pretty decent creations. Still nothing like the pots and pans I had grown up with. However, chickpeas were one of my dorm room staples. Healthy and budget friendly.
I decided to give the slow cooker a try and actually got some scallions to dress up the dish. I did not realize that I was creating a dish that would work and stay with me for almost two three decades. Even my children love it without the chilies. The best part of it all is that it pretty much cooks by itself.
While I do add the onions and tomatoes later in the game, I finish the prepping in one fell swoop and enjoy this dish with or without a crowd.
How to Enjoy this Channa Masala
It is great for a crowd. Sometimes with a variety of fixings. It is great with a side of rice. And of course to stick to restaurant staples, enjoy this with a side of naan or paratha.
An easy variation of curried chickpeas done in a slow cooker, essentially a super simple slow cooker channa masala.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
- 2 and 1/2 cups water
- salt to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 red onion, cut into a dice
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 teaspoons cumin-coriander powder
- 3 tomatoes
- 1 inch piece peeled fresh ginger
- 2 green chilies
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 lemon or lime
- 3/4 cup chopped scallions
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Place the chickpeas, water, salt and turmeric in the slow cooker and set to a 6 hour cycle. I use the instant pot slow cook function and it works just fine.
- After about 4 hours, add in the onions, oil and the cumin coriander powder.
- Grind the tomatoes, ginger and green chilies into a puree in a blender and place in the slow cooker and let this cook for the remaining two hours.
- The chickpeas should be very soft and the gravy thick, bright and saucy.
- Turn off the slow cooker and stir in the garam masala and let the mixture rest for 15 minutes.
- Cut the lime or lemon and squeeze in the juice. Stir in the scallions (reserving a little for garnish if desired) and the cilantro and serve.
Slow Cooker (Faux) Shrimp Tikka Masala
[…] I had promised my friend, there was to be at least one more slow cooker recipe in the offing. Actually, for some reason it […]
Pindi Choley - Dark and Spicy Chickpeas
[…] official start of spring. Now back to the chickpeas, they have been on my mind ever since I posted this recipe because my friend Chitra wanted a non slower cooker recipe. Slow cookers are ok and some of us tend […]
Super Simple Slow Cooker Channa Masala Chilli | Spice Chronicles
[…] of the most popular recipes on this site, is this slow cooker choley or Channa Masala recipe, today. Unrelated to the channa recipe, I was going to try and make ghoogni or my Bengali chili […]
New Cookbook and Crunchy Stir Fried Bok Choy
[…] will be on the horizon. Most of the recipes are unpublished, but there are favorites such as this Slow Cooker Choley or Beetroot Halwa recipe that finds its way to the book. In a nutshell, this book offers you 150 […]
Quick and Easy Healthy Meals | A Crafty Chai
[…] Chow Mein // Chickpeas, Black Beans and Spinach with Poached Eggs // One Pan Mexican Quinoa // Super Simple Slow Cooker Channa Masala // {All images found on Pinterest, via their respective sources. Original images can be found by […]
Weeknight Fish Curry with Mustard and Curry Leaves - Spice Chronicles
[…] of like this weeknight Salmon fish curry in our house. This jives right alongside with khichuri, slow cooker channa masala, red lentils with tomatoes and cilantro, bengali mashed potatoes, well I could go on, but then we […]