Name: Chana Masala Cheese Fries
Cook time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 2 tsp. coriander seeds or 1 tsp. ground coriander; 2 tsp. cumin seeds or 1½ tsp. ground cumin; 1½ tsp. garam masala; 1½ tsp. Kashmiri chile powder or other red chile powder; 1 tsp. ground turmeric; 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil; 1 medium onion, finely chopped; 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt, divided; 1–2 serrano chiles, finely chopped; 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 1 1" piece ginger, peeled, finely chopped; 2 15-oz. cans chickpeas, rinsed; 1 14-oz. can crushed tomatoes; 3 large sweet potatoes (about 1¾ lb.), scrubbed, cut lengthwise into ½" wedges; ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil; 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt; 1 serrano chile, coarsely chopped; 1 garlic clove; Zest and juice of 1 lime; 1 cup mint leaves; 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil; ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt; 3 cups cilantro leaves with tender stems, plus chopped for serving; 8 oz. Monterey Jack, Colby cheese, or low-moisture mozzarella, coarsely grated; Thinly sliced red onion and plain yogurt (for serving)

Chana masala sweet potato fries on a baking sheet.

Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne

Active Time
1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time
1 hour 15 minutes

Spicy, tangy, oh-so-melty-and-ooey-gooey—these chana masala fries hit on all levels. This particular spin on chana masala leans toward vegetarian chili, with a heavy dose of tomatoes and a kick from both Kashmiri chili powder and a couple serrano chiles. Some of the chickpeas are mashed part way through cooking to achieve a thick, spoonable texture akin to Cincinnati-style chili (read: not chunky or watery). Quick tip: If you’re strapped for time, feel free to use store-bought sweet potato fries! (I’ve used the crisscut fries to great avail.)

Ingredients

6 servings

Chana Masala

2 tsp. coriander seeds or 1 tsp. ground coriander

2 tsp. cumin seeds or 1½ tsp. ground cumin

1½ tsp. garam masala

1½ tsp. Kashmiri chile powder or other red chile powder

1 tsp. ground turmeric

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt, divided

1–2 serrano chiles, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 1" piece ginger, peeled, finely chopped

2 15-oz. cans chickpeas, rinsed

1 14-oz. can crushed tomatoes

Sweet Potato Fries

3 large sweet potatoes (about 1¾ lb.), scrubbed, cut lengthwise into ½" wedges

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt

Chutney and assembly

1 serrano chile, coarsely chopped

1 garlic clove

Zest and juice of 1 lime

1 cup mint leaves

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt

3 cups cilantro leaves with tender stems, plus chopped for serving

8 oz. Monterey Jack, Colby cheese, or low-moisture mozzarella, coarsely grated

Thinly sliced red onion and plain yogurt (for serving)

Chana Masala
Step 1
If using whole spices, finely grind coriander and cumin in a spice mill. Combine coriander, cumin, garam masala, chile powder, and turmeric in a small bowl.
Step 2
Heat oil in a large pot over medium. Add onion and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and softened, 8–10 minutes. Stir in serrano chiles (add up to 2 depending on your heat preference and how spicy your chiles are), garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add spice mixture and remaining 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt and cook, stirring, 1 minute (be careful not to burn spices).
Step 3
Add chickpeas, tomatoes, and 1½ cups water to pot and stir to combine. Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and cover pot. Cook until slightly thickened, 20–25 minutes. Uncover and mash about one third of chickpeas with a potato masher or fork. Continue to cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until chana masala is thick but spoonable, 8–10 minutes more. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
Sweet Potato Fries
Step 4
While the chana masala is cooking, preheat oven to 450°. Place sweet potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with oil, and season with salt. Toss to coat. Spread out in a single layer and roast, turning halfway through, until tender and browned in spots, 25–30 minutes. Set sweet potato fries aside; leave oven on.
Chutney and assembly
Step 5
Purée serrano chile, garlic, lime zest and juice, mint, oil, salt, and 3 cups cilantro in a blender, adding water a tablespoonful at a time if needed to thin, until chutney is smooth and pourable.
Step 6
Sprinkle two thirds of cheese over reserved sweet potato fries, then spoon a generous layer of chana masala over. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Return fries to oven and bake until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.
Step 7
To serve, drizzle half of chutney over fries and top with red onion and chopped cilantro. Serve with yogurt and remaining chutney alongside.

Leave a Review

Reviews (9)

Made exactly as written and it was delicious! A very satisfying vegetarian meal. FYI it took me exactly 1 hour and 15 minutes from start to finish as noted on the recipe and I did not prep everything at the beginning. Got the chana masala cooking first then cut the sweet potatoes and put them in the oven. Made the chutney and prepped the toppings while the chana masala finished and the potatoes cooked. As soon as the potatoes were done I put on the cheese and chana masala to cook the final 5 minutes, it was a photo finish!
- Michellers
- Los Angeles, CA
- 10/4/2023
I used a bag of Trader Joe's mixed root vegetable fries for this and some odds and ends of cheese that needed to go plus some mozz, and it is really more than the sum of its parts. Kind of amazing how good it all is together! And I didn't even make the chutney or top with cilantro. Impressed.
- KV
- Los Angeles
- 2/12/2022
Wow. We really loved this so much. As a time saver, I used sweet potato waffle fries. So indulgent and delish. Cannot wait to make again. That is, if I can ever find it next time in my new and terrible recipe box with tiny pictures and no way to search or organize my own saved recipes! Please tell me if I'm missing something. Spent so much time categorizing and now it's all gone.
- Stephanie L
- Woodbury, MN
- 11/4/2021
Every component of this recipe was incredibly flavorful. For me, I ended up with double the Chana Masala I felt like the fries could handle. Not the worst thing as it’s good to have leftovers, but I think you could halve that part of the recipe without issue!
- Anonymous
- Chicago
- 10/27/2021
These fries are amazing. They sounded so unusual, but once I got them assembled I realized they are Indian fusion chili cheese fries, and the most delicious and healthiest chili cheese fries you’ll ever eat. Every component is fabulous. Yes, this takes time to make, but it is worth every bit of effort. Sure you could streamline it by using frozen sweet potato fries and pre made Chana masala (pretty sure Costco sells pouches of it) but it would be the fast food version. Make it as written at least once. My family of 6 raved about this meal and said we needed to make it for company. Next time I would cook the Chana masala a little longer with the lid off. I forgot to remove the lid after mashing. I would have preferred it a bit thicker, but sweet potatoes are not as sturdy as regular fries so I’m sure I would have needed to eat these with a fork anyway.
- Mrs.Mom
- Cedarburg, WI
- 10/23/2021
Easy, tasty, and a show stopper. I paired this with some garlic naan from Trader Joe's at it was... chef's kiss.
- Kristen Lee
- Salt Lake City
- 9/29/2021
Very tasty and well-received (everyone wanted the recipe) and leftovers heated up relatively well too. You can't go wrong with the starch, spice and fat food groups, but seriously it did hit all the spots, as it was tasty and satiating, but not in an I-need-to-np-immediately way. I had made the chutney and channa masala ahead of time (separately) so it was quite quick and easy to throw together for dinner. I used cheddar to amp up the flavour and cooked died chickpeas instead of using canned, but otherwise (except for lax eyeballing-type measurements) followed the recipe as written.
- Charlene
- St Louis, MO
- 9/23/2021
Nice combination! I used Trader Joe's sweet potato fries and some leftover restaurant green chutney, as well as some pickled red onions I had on hand. The chana masala had very nice flavor and I liked the texture with the mashed component. Although I enjoyed the flavors together, I would have enjoyed having a crunchier element in there, too. Maybe next time I'll try sprinkling some sev over the top.
- Jen
- Albuquerque, NM
- 9/22/2021
Am I the first one to make this? How exciting! A little labor-intensive for a weeknight, even using frozen fries, but I'm only one person and it'll definitely serve me for multiple meals (I only assembled & baked as much as I was going to eat in one sitting). Great flavors! I love chana masala and this was a fun new way to enjoy it. I don't like raw red onion, so I soaked the onion slices in ice water with a tablespoon of vinegar to remove the bite. I also added a tsp of sugar to the chutney, as I had a particularly large and juicy lime and the lime juice was a little overwhelming. Otherwise, no changes from the recipe. Would definitely make again.
- Anonymous
- Boston, MA
- 9/17/2021
I don't like to make homemade french fries. I do love Indian food. This recipe looks great! It has a lot of Kosher salt, so salt to taste. I rate this recipe awesome, would love to make them soon.
- Robinfoxl37
- Florida
- 9/9/2021

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