Chana Masala

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp neutral oil, or ghee
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped, about 2 cups
• 4 cloves garlic, finely grated
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
• 1 serrano chile, slit lengthwise (optional)
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder, or sweet paprika
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 1 lb ripe tomatoes, about 3 medium, halved and grated on a box grater, skins discarded
• 1½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 2 cans chickpeas, 15 oz each, drained and rinsed
• 1½ cups water
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp amchur, dried mango powder
• ½ cup cilantro, chopped

The salt amounts here are for Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If you have Morton kosher salt, use a little over half as much, because its grains are denser and saltier by the spoon.

Steps

1. Heat the oil in a wide, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle until they darken a shade, about 30 seconds.
2. Add the onions with a pinch of the salt and cook, stirring every few minutes, until they are deep golden brown all over, 15 to 18 minutes. If the edges start to blacken before the middle colors, turn the heat down a notch rather than adding more oil.
3. Stir in the garlic, ginger and chile and cook until the raw smell is gone, about 1 minute. Add the coriander, ground cumin, Kashmiri chili and turmeric and stir for 30 seconds; add a splash of the water if they start to stick.
4. Add the tomatoes and the rest of the salt. Cook, stirring and scraping the bottom, until the tomatoes have collapsed into a thick, dark paste and oil pools at the edges, 8 to 10 minutes.
5. Add the chickpeas and the remaining water and bring to a simmer. Press about a ladleful of chickpeas against the side of the pot with the back of a spoon until they break up. Simmer uncovered, stirring now and then, until the gravy is thick enough to coat the chickpeas and a chickpea tastes seasoned all the way through, about 20 minutes. Loosen with a little more water if it gets stodgy.
6. Stir in the garam masala and amchur and simmer 2 minutes more. Taste for salt and sourness; it should have a clear tang. Fish out the chile if you like and scatter the cilantro over the top.

Notes

Make it a day ahead if you can, since the chickpeas soak up more of the sauce overnight; it keeps 4 days in the fridge and freezes well. To start from dried chickpeas, soak 1 cup overnight and simmer them until one crushes easily between your fingers, then use them in place of the cans. If you don't have amchur, squeeze lemon over each bowl at the table. If your canned chickpeas are salted, start with 1 teaspoon salt and adjust at the end.