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Vegan + Healthy + One pot meal + gluten-free !!!!!!!!!! Oh yes definitely sign me up !Today I am excited to share an easy recipe that goes by many names – Instant Pot Chana Masala / chickpea curry / cholay . This garbanzo bean recipe is vegan & gluten-free too. I love that making beans at home is super easy in a pressure cooker and tastes much better than the canned beans. This Indian style chickpea curry comes together with just 15 minutes of preparation and makes a delicious hassle free one pot meal for busy weeknight. A meal from scratch has never been so easy. It is packed with protein , fiber and all the amazing nutrients that you want in your meal.
I am getting lot of requests for daily meal ideas which require minimal effort and clean up and at the same time are packed with nutrition.
For this recipe I have used my new favorite kitchen gadget – The Instant Pot.
I am even getting requests to do vegetarian Instant Pot recipes too .
Instant Pot is an electric pressure cooker . I would say it’s more than a pressure cooker. It’s a multi cooker with great and impressive cooking options which just makes life easier . It’s convenient , will save you $$$ that you spend on outside food and you will eat more home-made and healthy stuff.
Though this post is about the recipe to be cooked in an instant pot and not how to use or what are the advantages of the pot , I can’t stop praising it.
For those who are already using it can tell you how amazing this pot is. And for those who don’t know about it please look up online for details.
Don’t have an instant pot then feel free to make this recipe in your traditional stovetop pressure cooker too.
What I love about chana masala in Instant Pot ?
Everything!!!! I love the fact that I don’t have to boil the beans first and then make the curry later .
I love that you can just dump everything in one pot and a lovely meal is ready in minutes from scratch.
I love that I need not be around stirring the curry . Instead use that time to do something else.
Chana masala , cholay or chickpeas curry whatever you want to call it makes a healthy wholesome option for lunch or dinner. Leftovers can be enjoyed the next day too.
This recipe is vegan and gluten- free .
For extra nutrition I have added lots of spinach to the curry. You may skip it.
This is my 1st Instant Pot recipe on my blog and I promise to do many morein future.
Given below is a step by step pictorial tutorial followed by the recipe.
Liked this recipe?Do give it a star rating in the comments !
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4.64 from 25 votes
Instant Pot spinach chana masala - vegan & gluten-free
Chana masala cooked in instant pot makes a healthy and hassle free dinner option. Its gluten- free and vegan.
Course Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine Indian
Prep Time 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes minutes
Total Time 40 minutes minutes
Adjustable Servings -6 people
Calories 233kcal
Author Khushboo
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw chickpeas/ cholay / chana to be soaked
- 3 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon grated garlic
- ½ tablespoon grated ginger
- 1.5 cups water
- 2 cups fresh tomato puree
- 1 tablespoon roasted chickpea flour * optional see notes
- Spices needed
- 1 green chili finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 2 teaspoon cayenne/ paprika / red mirch powder
- 1 tablespoon cholay / chana masala
To be added later
- 2 cups chopped baby spinach
- Salt to taste
- Fistful of chopped fresh cilantro
- Lemon
Instructions
Wash chickpeas in a mesh under cold running water for 30 seconds.
Now soak chickpeas in 2 cups water.
Bring it to a rolling boil and let it boil for good 5 minutes. Switch off the flame , cover it with lid and let it soak for 8-10 hours/ overnight.
Next day before cooking drain out all the excess water from soaked chickpeas .
Switch on the instant pot on sautee mode . After 3 minutes add in 3 tablespoon cooking oil .
Add in the onions and cook for 2 minutes or until translucent .
Add in the bay leaf, green chilly , ginger , garlic paste and cook it for 20 seconds .
Add in the chana masala , turmeric , chili powder , coriander powder along with 1 tablespoon water to avoid masala to burn.
Sautee it for 10 seconds.
Add in roasted chickpea flour/ besan and sautee for 10 seconds .
Now add in the tomato puree , drained chickpeas and 1.5 cups of water and mix well .
Now close the lid and choose 15 minutes on manual mode High pressure.
Position the steam release to sealing .
After the timer goes off let it naturally cool off for 15 minutes .
Carefully vent any steam off after 15 minutes and open the lid.
Give it a stir and check for doneness by smashing a chickpea.
The chickpea should smash up easily without any resistance.
Now put the instant pot on sauté mode again and add in chopped spinach and salt.
Mash few chickpeas with back of the spoon for thicker gravy .
Let it cook on saute mode for 3 minutes .
Switch off the instant pot.
The Gravy will thicken eventually after it starts cooling down.
Add in chopped coriander and some lemon juice if desired.
Taste test, adjust spices if desired and serve warm as a soup , along with roti or over rice/ quinoa .
Notes
I have used roasted chickpea flour/ besan to make the gravy thick .
You can leave it and just smash up few chickpeas later and the gravy will thicken once it starts cooling.
Use garam masala if chana masala unavailable.
You may skip spinach all together.
The spice level of this recipe is 3 on the scale 1-5 , 5 being the hottest .
Adjust seasoning to your spice level .
It's important to soak the beans for 8-10 hours .
If you forget to soak the beans refer to tips below
If using store bought puree , add only 1.5 cups puree and increase water by additional ½ cup.
Leftovers can be enjoyed up to 3 days . Store in refrigerator .
Tastes even better the next day so makes a perfect next day lunch.
Stove top pressure cooking method mentioned below.For more easy Instant Pot recipes - Follow link here.
Nutrition
Calories: 233kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 9g | Sodium: 70mg | Potassium: 741mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1405IU | Vitamin C: 14.9mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 4mg
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I want to try this recipe but totally forgot to soak the beans. Can I still make this chickpea curry with unsoaked beans ?
Yes you can . It will just take a bit longer. Here is what you do – Disregard the water called in the recipe for cooking the chickpea. After adding chickpea to the pot , pour water to cover chickpea plus 3 ” above the chickpea. High pressure MANUAL 35 minutes followed by NPR (Natural Pressure Release. ) It really takes only 5 minutes to soak chickpea so that the cooking time is cut into half. Soak and cook beans whenever possible.
Chana masala in a traditional stove top pressure cooker
Follow instant pot steps from 1-10
Pressure cook on medium up to 5 whistles , then turn down the heat to low and let it cook for 10 minutes.
Switch off the flame and let the cooker cool for 15-20 minutes before opening.
After 15 minutes , carefully release any pressure left by gently pulling up the whistle and open the pressure cooker .
Proceed with spinach as mentioned for instant pot.
Taste test and adjust the spices if needed.
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Hope you like this recipe Instant Pot chickpea curry spinach chana masala and do give it a try. I would love to hear from you.
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