Chickpea tikka masala
Chickpeas seared with smoky tikka spices, then simmered in a creamy, gently spiced tomato and coconut masala and served over basmati, the takeout favorite made vegan at home.
- 45 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $2.18 a serving
- 700 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1½ cups basmati rice, rinsed
- 2 cans chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry
- 2 tsp garam masala, divided
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1½ cups crushed tomatoes
- 1 can light coconut milk
- 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped (optional)
From your pantry
- 2¾ cups water
- 1¾ tsp salt, divided
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
Each serving has about 700 calories, 21 g protein, 103 g carbs and 23 g fat, and costs about $2.18 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No basmati rice? Jasmine rice or long-grain white rice works.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No crushed tomatoes? Diced tomatoes work.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Put the rice, water and 1 teaspoon salt in a and over high heat.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Stir once, cover, and cook on low 15 minutes, then leave it covered off the heat.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
the chickpeas with 1 tablespoon of the oil, 1 teaspoon garam masala, the smoked paprika and cumin.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Heat a large over medium-high heat, add the chickpeas and cook 5 to 6 minutes, shaking the pan, until in spots. Tip them onto a plate.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Char. Charring means cooking over very high heat until some spots turn black. Those dark spots add a smoky, slightly bitter flavor that balances sweet or rich food.
How you’ll know: You see black spots and blisters in places, while most of the surface keeps its own color.
Medium-high heatTimer: 5 min
Dolly’s tip: The char is the tikka part. Let them sit a minute between shakes so they color.Heat the rest of the oil in the same over medium heat and cook the onion 7 minutes, until .
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Medium heatTimer: 7 min
Stir in the garlic, ginger, coriander, turmeric and cayenne for 1 minute, .
Fragrant. Fragrant means cooking until you can clearly smell it, usually garlic or spices, often in about 30 seconds. That’s the moment the flavor is ready, just before it can burn.
How you’ll know: You can smell it from a step back, and garlic is pale gold, not brown.
Medium heat
Add the tomatoes and cook 5 minutes, until thick, then stir in the coconut milk, sugar, the rest of the garam masala and ¾ teaspoon salt.
Medium heatTimer: 5 min
Add the chickpeas back and 8 to 10 minutes, until the sauce is thick and creamy.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Medium heatTimer: 9 min
Serve over the rice with cilantro on top.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
More dinners like this
Edamame curry
40 min
Instant Pot tofu and potato curry
55 min
Slow cooker Cuban black beans
500 min
Instant Pot tofu biryani
60 min
Vegetarian dinners ›Cozy comfort food ›What to make with canned tomatoes and rice ›What to make with chickpeas and rice ›