This recipe of chickpeas and spinach, cooked in a tomato masala has become our favourite vegetarian dish.
Known as chana palak masala or chole saag it comes from the Punjabi cuisine. It is a simple and wholesome family dish.
You can adjust the amount of chilli – the amount in the recipe will provide moderate, but not excessive heat. Don’t overdo it though. As presented the flavours are nicely balanced.
For a weeknight meal, there are some shortcuts, but you cannot compromise the preparation of the spinach.
The technique of blanching and chilling the spinach was taught to me by a chef friend. This preserves the vibrant green colour of the spinach, which otherwise will become brown. This technique is applicable to most of the leafy green vegetable recipes in this book.
The big shortcut is to use canned chickpeas. Most supermarkets sell canned organic chickpeas which make a suitable substitute for the process described in the recipe below. Make sure you rinse them well if using them.
Don’t worry about the large amount of salt specified. Most of it gets discarded after preparing the lentils and the spinach.
We serve this with plain rice, or chapatis, a raita, and the best pickle we have in our pantry.
the recipe
about
equipment
- large pot
- large bowl
- slotted spoon
- small frypan
- wide pan with lid
ingredients
for the chickpeas
- 300 g chickpeas - (kabuli channa)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp fruit salt - see notes
for the spinach
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 250 g spinach leaves
for the curry
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 3 tbsp gingelly oil - see notes
- 1 brown onion - sliced
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 cloves garlic - chopped
- 30 g ginger - chopped
- 3 tomatoes - pulped, deseeded and chopped
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tsp jaggery
to serve
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp coriander leaves - chopped
instructions
to prepare the chickpeas
- Wash chickpeas in several changes of water. Cover with water and leave to soak overnight.300 g chickpeas – (kabuli channa)
- Put the soaked chickpeas in a pot and add the salt and fruit salt. Cover with water, bring to a simmer and cook the chickpeas until softened, but still firm. This will take about one hour. Remove from heat and drain well.1 tsp salt, 1 tsp fruit salt – see notes
to prepare the spinach
- Bring four litres (four quarts) of the water to a boil in a large pot and prepare a bowl with iced water.
- Once the water is boiling, add the salt and turmeric to the water, then add the spinach leaves. Stir, and once the water has come back to a boil transfer the leaves to the iced water using a slotted spoon. Stir well to distribute the leaves and allow them to cool.1 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground turmeric, 250 g spinach leaves
- Once the leaves have cooled, remove them from the iced water and gently squeeze the water from them. Coarsely chop the leaves and refrigerate until ready to use.
to cook
- Heat a small frypan over medium heat. Add the coriander and cumin seeds. Toss gently until the seeds start to colour and become aromatic. Remove from the heat, allow to cool then grind to a fine powder. Set aside.1 tbsp coriander seeds, 2 tsp cumin seeds
- Heat the gingelly oil in a large pan on low heat. Add the sliced onion and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt. Cook gently for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and light brown in colour.3 tbsp gingelly oil – see notes, ½ tsp salt, 1 brown onion – sliced
- Add the garlic and ginger and cook for two minutes, stirring frequently, until the raw garlic smell has gone.4 cloves garlic – chopped, 30 g ginger – chopped
- Add the tomatoes and sprinkle with the ground coriander and cumin seeds, ground turmeric, and Kashmiri chilli powder. Mix well, increase the heat and fry for five minutes, stirring often.3 tomatoes – pulped, deseeded and chopped, 1 tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- Add the drained chickpeas and mix well. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat and cook for ten minutes, stirring gently and often.
- Add the spinach, ½ teaspoon of salt, and the jaggery, then mix well. Bring back to a simmer, then reduce the heat and cook for five minutes, stirring gently and often. Add up to a cup of water if the dish is becoming dry.½ tsp salt, 1 tsp jaggery
to serve
- Add the garam masala, lemon juice and chopped coriander leaves. Mix and serve.1 tsp garam masala, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp coriander leaves – chopped
notes
private notes
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