Go Back
+ servings
Chana Palak served in a bowl with a spoon in it
Print

Chana Palak | Chickpea Spinach Curry

Chana Palak/Saag Curry is a tried and tested, delicious North Indian recipe made with chickpeas and spinach. A flavorful Indian spinach dish that can be made under 30 minutes!
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Asian, Indian, Punjabi
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 4 people
Calories 307.8kcal

Equipment

  • pan or an Instant Pot

Ingredients

To make spinach puree

  • 10 oz spinach
  • water
  • salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ½ cup cilantro reserve some for garnish
  • 3 green chillies

To make the curry

Instructions

To make the spinach puree

  • Boil water with salt and sugar. Add spinach to the pot and let it sit in there for 2 minutes.
  • Transfer the spinach to a bowl of ice. Give it an ice bath.
  • Transfer the wilted leaves to a blender jar. There is no need to squeeze the water from the spinach. Add green chillies, cashew paste, and cilantro with stems.
  • Grind it to a smooth puree.

To make the curry

  • Heat vegan ghee in a pan. Temper cumin seeds. Once they crackle, add dried red chillies, bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves and peppercorns.
  • Then add onions and ginger garlic paste. Saute till the onions turn translucent. It could take around 2 minutes.
  • Now add the chopped tomatoes along with salt and cashew paste. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
  • It's time to add the spices - chilly powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, asafoetida, pomegranate powder, and cardamom powder to the pan. Mix and cook for another minute.
  • Add the chickpeas and give it all a good mix.
  • Followed by water. Cook covered for 7-8 minutes.
  • Now add the spinach puree and garam masala. You can also add chole masala at this point. Mix and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
  • Then garnish with Kasuri methi, and lemon juice. Mix and take it off the flame.

Notes

To save on cook time, you can also skip blanching the spinach. Chop and add the spinach to the curry instead along with chickpeas. This will not give the curry a green hue but will not impact the taste.
Use either soaked chickpeas, cooked chickpeas, or canned chickpeas in this spinach curry recipe. Instead of chickpeas, you can also make this curry with any other beans.
The spices are customizable. Add only the ones available to you. The taste will not be the same but should still taste good.

Nutrition

Calories: 307.8kcal | Carbohydrates: 46.29g | Protein: 14.03g | Fat: 9.28g | Saturated Fat: 3.71g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.93g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2.26g | Sodium: 283.31mg | Potassium: 970.33mg | Fiber: 13.85g | Sugar: 11.17g | Vitamin A: 7140.93IU | Vitamin C: 36.34mg | Calcium: 180.98mg | Iron: 6.8mg