Chana Masala…Trader Joe’s Frozen Version vs. The Homemade Version
Have you had Chana Masala before? It’s a pretty simple dish that originated in India consisting of chickpeas, tomatoes, onions and a variety of spices that many of us may have lingering in our cupboards. Even so, American culture has us lazy to the point that there is a frozen version of this recipe, and it is alive and well at Trader Joe’s grocery stores.
Here is a shot of the nutrition label. There is nothing terrible in this recipe, but I do want to take out the canola oil and I don’t think mango powder is necessary.
I wanted to make a homemade version of this frozen dish because I know it isn’t difficult, but I want others to see how easy it is to do at home, with minimal ingredients. But it is amazing how versatile ingredients can become once unique spices are incorporated. Below we have the beginnings of the homemade recipe; onions sautéed in coconut oil, cumin, grated ginger, garlic and cilantro.
Then we add turmeric, coriander and chili powder.
Next, we add the can of diced tomatoes and the can of chickpeas, drained. As you can see, it’s pretty simple, just a ton of spices to give it the flavor that makes the dish what it is. I used coconut oil instead of canola oil because canola oil is cheap, typically low in nutrients, not great for cooking, and when conventionally produced, is unhealthy. Coconut oil is a saturated fat, and research has shown that the specific types of saturated fats found in coconut oil, called medium-chain triglycerides, are metabolized differently from other saturated fatty acids because of their structure difference. There are a lot of conflicting stories and research articles, but basically I wanted to use a less processed oil for this recipe.
So on the left is the frozen Chana Masala from Trader Joe’s and on the right is the homemade version. Not terribly different looking, but you can see the color in the homemade version is much brighter, because it is not flash pasteurized like the frozen version. Flash pasteurization is a method used to increase the shelf life of many products from milk to canned vegetables. Flash pasteurization treats foods and liquids at high temperatures for a short amount of time to slow microbial growth. Also, the fresh version has no mango powder and I added garam masala, which is an Indian spice mix that contains cardamom and cinnamon and smells like a cookie, but blends very well with this particular recipe.
And here we have the two side by side. The left is the frozen and the right is the homemade. Again, the amount the homemade version made has about 4-5 servings you can get from it, plus less sodium unless you decide to add more salt. But the beauty of all the spices is that you don’t need much salt, not to mention tomatoes have some natural sodium in them.
Chana Masala
A healthier remake of the frozen grocery store version of a traditional Indian dish.
- 4 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1 medium yellow onion ( diced)
- 1 Tbsp ground cumin
- 3/4 tsp sea salt (divided)
- 6 cloves garlic (minced )
- 2 Tbsp fresh ginger (grated)
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro (chopped)
- 1 Tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 28 ounce can pureed or finely diced tomatoes (if unsalted, you’ll add more salt to the dish)
- 2 15 ounce cans chickpeas ( drained)
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
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Heat a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add oil, onion, cumin, and half of the salt
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Add garlic, ginger, cilantro to a food processor to pulse into a paste or you can just mince it. Then, add to the pan with the onions.
Next add ground coriander, chili powder, and turmeric and stir to coat. Add more coconut oil at this point if desired or it’s starting to look dry or stick to the pan.
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Add diced tomatoes and chickpeas and the remaining salt. Look for a semi-thick soup consistency at this point, as it will cook down into more of a stew.
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Maintain a simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the mixture is thick and stew-like. Stir occasionally.
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When the stew is thick and bubbly, feel free to add more spices if you wish to adjust the flavoring. After that you can remove it from the heat and add lemon juice and garam masala. Stir to mix and let it cool before serving it. I served mine over cauliflower rice, but feel free to use regular rice, brown, basmati, or sweet potatoes or roasted vegetables.
