Vegan Chana Masala :: As a child and even in to my early 20's, I had not been exposed to Indian food. Boy, was I missing out! By the time I actually tried it, I was vegetarian. A dish with chickpeas, was of course, my first experience. Chana Masala is the perfect starter dish for Indian food in my opinion. You get a pleasant introduction in to Indian spices without the dish being too spicy or overpowering. Why I call my recipe easy... The traditional ingredients and instructions of a Chana Masala are incredible but a bit more time consuming. When first starting on my vegan journey, spices became an investment and a fun way to experiment with flavors. If a recipe required a whole spice as opposed to a ground version, I didn't want to have to take the time to grind or toast it. Same with the beans. I preferred canned because of the convenience. It shouldn't be hard to see where I'm going with this. Easy means... We're using ground spices in place of chopping onion, ginger and garlic--and in place of grinding whole seeds. Chickpeas (aka Garbanzo Beans) are canned as well as the tomatoes and green chilies. Let's get to it!