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Chana Masaledar

A spiced chickpea dish cooked with onions, garlic, ginger, tomato paste, and aromatic spices.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 15 ingredients
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Why it works: Cinnamon and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,917 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Chana Masaledar

Ingredients

Directions

Fry the aromatics

  1. Heat oil in a heavy pot and add cumin seeds.

  2. When they begin to darken, add the onion.

  3. Stir and fry for 7 minutes.

  4. Turn heat to low and add cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and coriander.

  5. Mix well and add garlic and ginger, then stir and fry for 2 minutes.

  6. Add paste.

Cook the chick peas

  1. Add chick peas, salt, cayenne and amchoor.

  2. Mix well, cover and cook for 10 minutes.

  3. You may have to add an extra 2 tablespoons or so of stock.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

304Calories
8 gProtein
16 gFat
37 gCarbs

Counts 13 of 15 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 13 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Pea1/2 cup (72g)62
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Nutmeg1 tsp ground (2.2g)12
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12
Cumin1 tsp ground (2.1g)8
Clove1 tsp ground (2g)7
Cinnamon1 tsp ground (2.6g)6
Cayenne1 tsp (1.8g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Ginger1 tsp grated fresh (2g)2
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Seednot in our table0
Coriandernot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Cinnamon + nutmegtop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together11,917 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  2. Cinnamon + clovetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together14,189 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).

  3. Cumin + coriandertop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,866 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  4. Nutmeg + clovetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together8,686 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  5. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Chick peas
Provide the main body and hearty texture of the dish.
Onion
Softens and sweetens as it fries, forming the base flavour of the sauce.
Cumin seeds
Bloom in hot oil to release a warm, toasted aroma.
Tomato paste
Adds concentrated tomato flavour, colour and body to the sauce.
Ginger
Adds a sharp, fresh aroma that deepens during frying.
Amchoor
Adds tartness, giving the dish a sour brightness in place of fresh lemon.

The step that matters

Frying the onion. The onion needs enough time to soften and brown slightly. Undercooked onion stays sharp and raw-tasting, while well-fried onion turns sweet and builds the depth of the sauce.

Swap the peas

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cumin, onion, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, coriander, garlic):

  1. Chickpeafits better
  2. Lentilsfits better
  3. Cashew nutfits better
  4. Peasthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against cumin, onion, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, coriander, garlic. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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