Chana Saag {chickpeas and spinach spiced with garam masala}

Chana Saag is a classic Indian curry made with chickpeas, loads of spinach, onion, tomato, ginger, garlic and spiced with homemade garam masala. Serve it with warm pita bread or steamed basmati rice for a perfect vegan and gluten free weeknight meal. This crowd pleaser recipe can be made ahead, making it an ideal dish to serve at parties.

I love the versatile protein and fiber rich chickpeas. Although my go to chana masala recipe works great for dinner gatherings, I love to try new recipes. Last weekend, I had few friends over and I had planned a north Indian dinner menu. I had bought a giant bag of fresh spinach to make chana saag. My usual recipe for chana saag uses pureed spinach and I wanted to change it up a little and try something different but easy. I quickly browsed through some of my favorite blogs and decided to make Malika Basu’s recipe for chana saag that looked delicious yet simple.

As Malika describes, the recipe indeed is very easy and yields an aromatic and perfectly spiced curry. I loved how the bag of spinach blended so beautifully with the rest of the ingredients. This healthy and nutrition rich curry is definitely a keeper and perfect for quick weeknight meal. To me, it tasted even better the next day when all the flavors had infused well. Served with warm pita bread and beetroot raita was my favorite way to enjoy it.

I made very slight modifications to the original recipe, I prefer using homemade ghee in this recipe instead of oil. Thank you Malika for this healthy and simple recipe from your lovely blog!

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Chana Saag {chickpeas and spinach cooked in warm spices}

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

25 mins

 

A classic Indian curry made with chickpeas, spinach, tomatoes, onions, ginger, garlic and spiced with warm homemade garam masala.

Course: Entree, Main dish

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: Chana Saag

Servings: 3

Calories: 222 kcal

Author: Archana Mundhe

Ingredients

• 1 15 oz can of chickpeas
• 4 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1 medium tomato
• 1 small onion
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp mango powder amchoor
• 1 tbsp ghee
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Peel and finely chop the onion. In a medium sized pot, add ghee and when it’s sizzling hot, toss in the chopped onions. Saute the onions for ten minutes with a pinch of salt.
2. When the onion starts turning a pale golden, add the ginger and garlic, and saute for another five minutes until the onions turn a darker shade of golden.
3. Add the turmeric, chilli and cumin powders and stir for a minute. If the mixture starts getting stuck to the bottom of the pot, add a tablespoon of warm water and scrape it off.
4. Next, chop the tomato roughly and chuck it into the masala, stirring for a couple of minutes until it disintegrates. When it does, add half a cup of warm water. lower the heat to medium and let the spices infuse the tomato.
5. In about five minutes, when you see oil oozing through the surface of the masala, roughly chop the spinach and stir into the masala. Now, rinse and drain the chickpeas and mix them in.
6. Let the chickpeas cook with the spices for another five minutes. To finish, add salt to taste, sprinkle garam masala and amchoor powder all over and serve hot.

Nutrition Facts

Chana Saag {chickpeas and spinach cooked in warm spices}

Amount Per Serving

Calories 222 Calories from Fat 72

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 8g 12%

Saturated Fat 3g 15%

Cholesterol 12mg 4%

Sodium 471mg 20%

Potassium 621mg 18%

Total Carbohydrates 29g 10%

Dietary Fiber 9g 36%

Sugars 3g

Protein 9g 18%

Vitamin A 87.6%

Vitamin C 24.5%

Calcium 11.5%

Iron 21.6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Author: Archana

Hey there! I am a techie turned recipe developer, cooking instructor, and food blogger. I love food and enjoy developing easy and healthy recipes for busy lifestyles. I live New Jersey with my husband and two sons.

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