Chana Masala 

Been cooking Channa Masala for over 40 years now and my mom did it for 40 odd years before I started. To get the channa masala, always caramelize the onions before adding the giner and garlic. Then add the cumin and coriander seeds which should be roasted and fully ground before use. Add a tablespoon of tomato paste after adding the powdered seeds. Heat until the paste breaks down (minute or two) and then add the chickpeas to the mixture along with a tsp of garam masala. Cook for 15 minutes

about cooking dried chickpeas (I do that since the past century): no baking soda, but I change the water 2 o 3 times, this makes them more digestible. then I cook them in the pressure cooker, 35 minutes, no salt. after tasting that you won't buy canned chickpeas anymore. And they cost a lot less.

Can you give a substitute amount for canned whole or diced tomatoes? Peak tomato season is gone and since the tomatoes are cooked down into the sauce why not use good canned instead of bad "fresh"?

I always double spices in my instantpot, otherwise made as directed

As with other posts, I upped the spices. Was delicious

I used a 14.5oz can of petite diced tomatoes tonight (would have opted for fire roasted if the petite diced didn't need to be used ASAP). Cooked the end of step of 1 twice as long to make it nice and "jammy." My semi carnivore of a husband said while he would have preferred it with lamb, it was delicious. Had to hide some from him so there would be leftovers for my dinner hour an hr later (I can't eat right after cooking, wonder if anyone here relates). The can worked great.

Actually, Owen, no longer. Cilantro has the advantage of clearly being the herb, at least in common usage, while coriander continues as either the leaves or the seeds. In watching a Hindi talk show online recently, I heard someone ask for the English translation of "dhania" (coriander), and the one offered by an older Indian couple from the audience was cilantro. They were pretty clearly tied to the US, but no one corrected them.

Doubling the spices and aromatics, and blooming a bay leaf, small stock cinnamon, 2 cardamom pods, and 2 cloves in the ghee at the start made this dish a winner.

I made so tweaks I can’t comment on the recipe (although the spice combination was amazing) but I want to suggest using a large, not a medium pot.

No stock needed! I soak my chickpeas overnight, then cook them in the pressure cooker with diced garlic, ginger, onion and green chillies. Then tip the contents into the sautéed “masala base” - the other half of the garlic/ ginger/ onion/ chilies plus spices. Tomatoes are optional, per my Punjabi relatives. :) Yum!

To the "elder" who claims it's improper to use the term cilantro in Asian dish: unless I'm conversing with a friend from the UK, I'll keep calling it cilantro in all contexts, thanks. Cilantro at this point is the more widely used word in American English and the type of dish for which it is being employed doesn't make any difference. Languages evolve, notwithstanding protestations of our elders.

Really delicious! I cook lots of chickpea dishes, & this was one of the best ever. Used a green jalapeño, milder than the suggested chili varieties, & seeded it to make it milder. This was still plenty spicy for my taste. Used cayenne for the red chili powder. Had no cilantro. Used sweet lime wedges instead of lemon wedges. Otherwise followed recipe. Served alongside brown rice. Good she said to serve the rice alongside rather than under stew. Rice didn’t get soggy or dilute flavors.

I saw the picture today and made it tonight, simplifying and modifying in the interest of time and my husband’s spice tolerance. I think I came close to the recipe. It was delicious. Very homey and soothing and it was easy to throw together as a one pot meal. A hit with everyone!

I've been making this for years, exactly like this! It's a family favorite.

An elder's favorite nit to pick: For an Asian dish the herb is coriander (leaves) not cilantro, which is just Spanish for coriander. Use the latter for Spanish or Latin American dishes.