Chana Saag (Chickpeas with Spinach)

I really loved this curry. It tastes rich and full-flavoured and buttery. The sambhar masala gives it a nice robust flavour with just a bit of gentle heat. The tomato paste adds a good hit of umami. And the ghee contributes its own lovely flavour as well as a pleasant mouthfeel. Oh, and it's dead easy to make. I will definitely be coming back to this recipe!

Chana Saag

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 1/4 c. fried onion
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 tsp. sambhar masala
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 c. cooked chickpeas
• 2 c. water
• 250g fresh spinach, rinsed well and chopped

Directions

1. Heat the ghee over medium-high heat.
2. Add mustard seeds and cover. Cook until mustard seeds have stopped popping.
3. Add ginger paste¹ and cook for another minute or so.
4. Add fried onion, tomato paste, sambhar masala, salt, and chickpeas. Stir to combine and thoroughly coat the chickpeas.
5. Add water, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium.
6. Stir in spinach, cover, and allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes.
7. Serve with rice².

---

Variations

Vegan

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 1/4 c. fried onion
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 tsp. sambhar masala
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 c. cooked chickpeas
• 2 c. water
• 250g fresh spinach, rinsed well and chopped

---

¹ The ginger paste will spatter A LOT. I was only able to mix it in after I took the pan off the heat and let it cool a little. I mixed it around, then returned it to the heat to let the ginger paste cook a little. ^Back
2 I chose to make a sort of rice pilau. I added fried onion, whole peppercorns, cumin seeds, dried chopped garlic, parsley, a dried Kashmiri chile, a cassia/Indian bay leaf, and just a touch of ghee to the rice while it cooked. I would've added some fresh cilantro if I'd had any on hand as well. At the end of cooking, I stirred in a little more fried onion and some thawed frozen peas. I think slivered almonds would've been a nice addition as well. ^Back