Chana Saag (Indian Chickpea and Spinach Curry) Recipe
Chana Saag is a flavorful Indian chickpea and spinach curry combining tender cooked chickpeas with nutritious spinach in a rich, spiced tomato-based sauce. This dish features a blend of aromatic spices and optional cashew cream for smoothness, making it perfect for a hearty, comforting meal served with basmati rice or naan. It offers both stovetop and Instant Pot methods for convenience.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Indian
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked or canned chickpeas
- 12 ounces spinach (fresh or frozen)
- 1 cup finely chopped tomatoes (or tomato puree/paste)
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 green chili or jalapeno (sliced)
- 2 tablespoons cashew cream (optional)
Spices and Flavorings
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic, grated or finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ginger, grated or finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
Instructions
- Sauté Aromatics: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet or saute pan over medium heat. Add finely chopped onions, ginger, garlic, and sliced green chili or jalapeno. Cook until onions turn translucent, approximately 5 minutes.
- Add Spices: Stir in turmeric powder, ground cumin, coriander powder, garam masala powder, and salt. Mix well and add a tablespoon of water if spices start to stick or burn to prevent scorching.
- Cook Spinach: Add the chopped spinach to the pan and cook over medium to high heat for 5 to 6 minutes until wilted and cooked through, with no visible water remaining. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Make Spinach Paste: Once the spinach mixture has cooled, puree it to a coarse or smooth paste according to preference and set aside.
- Prepare Chickpea Base: In a deep-bottomed pan or Dutch oven, heat remaining oil and add chopped tomatoes. Cook for a couple of minutes until tomatoes soften.
- Add Chickpeas and Simmer: Stir in the cooked chickpeas, red chili powder, and ½ cup water. Let it simmer on low heat for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Combine Saag Sauce: Add the spinach paste to the chickpea mixture. Adjust water quantity to desired consistency and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Thicken with Cashew Cream: Optionally, stir in 2 tablespoons of cashew cream and cook for an additional 2 minutes to enrich and thicken the curry.
- Serve: The chana saag is ready to serve hot, ideally accompanied by basmati rice or naan bread.
- Instant Pot Alternative: Use saute mode to cook onions, ginger, garlic, and chili. Add tomatoes and all spices, then chickpeas and water. Pressure cook on high for 5 minutes, release pressure manually after 5 min, then add greens and saute until cooked (2-3 minutes for spinach). Turn off and serve.
Notes
- Traditional saag uses maize (corn) flour for thickness. To use, make a slurry with 1 tablespoon maize flour and water, add to the curry along with spinach paste, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.
- Cashew or coconut cream can be used to thicken and enrich the curry, making it vegan.
- Add a splash of lemon juice after cooking for brightness.
- For tanginess, optionally add ½ teaspoon dry mango powder.
- This recipe yields a semi-dry curry; adjust water or coconut milk to achieve desired consistency.
- Spinach is essential even when using other greens to avoid bitterness.
- Frozen spinach can replace fresh spinach in equal quantity.
- Tomato puree or paste can substitute fresh tomatoes, using around 1 cup puree or 1 tablespoon paste.
