Vegan Chana saag curry or chickpea spinach curry is a very wholesome dish and a perfect weeknight meal. You can gauge the popularity of this classic indian curry by the amount of takeaways and ready to eat packets in the local supermarket.Instant pot chana masala is also quite a hit these days as everyone is going back to work slowly. Indian chickpea recipe can be made in a traditional pressure cooker or slow cooker too.
You can pair it with any flat bread be it poori, vegan naan, bhatura or plain basmati rice if you are gluten free. Simple chana saag masala saves the day when there are guests coming home at a short notice. Just use a can of chickpeas for the same recipe. If you want to start eating brown rice, pair it with protein-rich chickpeas or rajma masala (kidney beans). If you cannot make an Indian flatbread, just pair it with homemade buns, Costco's Afghani bread or Turkish bread.
What else can you make from chickpeas?
Channa sabzi is easy to make. Full of protein too. Chickpeas are so wonderful and versatile. They are a great source of protein. You can make a hummus, falafel,salad and even make a pickle out of it. Boiled chickpeas make a great chaat after adding chopped coriander, onions & tomatoes, dash of fresh lemon juice and green chutney.
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Equipment
- pressure cooker or Instant pot
- Pan/pot for cooking the curries
Ingredients
- Boiled/canned chickpeas
In case of using dried chickpeas - Soak chickpeas overnight or at least for 4 hours in water for 2 hours in hot water. They swell and double in the size post soaking. If you want you can also use canned chickpeas for this curry. Pressure cook the chickpeas with 3-4 cups of water and bit of salt for 2-3 whistles or in a covered pot, until soft. If you are using organic chickpeas, 2 whistles are enough.
For instant pot, I would recommend to cook on high of 15 minutes and release the steam after 15 minutes. This would change a bit based on the quality chickpeas you are using.
Other ingredients are
- Onions
- Tomato ,puree/diced tomatoes
- Ginger paste
- Garlic paste
- Curry powder
- Red chilli powder / paprika
- Garam masala
- Salt as per taste
- Water
- Coconut milk (optional)
- Chopped spinach
- Oil ( coconut oil/ vegetable oil/ sunflower oil / olive oil)
refer to recipe card for exact quantities.
Instructions
- In a pan or a pot, heat oil. Add cumin seeds. Add onion with some salt and saute on low/medium heat until brown
- Cook until the onions turn brown, add ginger and garlic.
- Add the tomatoes with little salt. Mix well.
- Continue cooking with little salt, once tomatoes have soften. Add the spices.
- Continue cooking until the masala has mixed well.
- Add the chickpeas and mix well.
- Now, add 2 cups of hot water, Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes.
- Add coconut milk to the chickpea curry.
- Now, add the chopped spinach leaves and turn off the heat. Allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Serve chane ka saag hot with jeera rice or naan bread.
Substitutions
You can also make it vegetarian by adding some ghee or butter in the end. That is strictly optional. Some people even add some paneer, to make chola paneer. If you do not get paneer locally, you may even use halloumi. You may add a combination of baby spinach, mustard greens, collard greens and some fenugreek leaves to garbanzo beans for saag. If you do not have fresh spinach, you may use frozen spinach for the same.
Variations
You can also make it without onions and garlic. Just with some tomato paste. If you like it spicy, add more red chilli powder/ crushed black pepper or increase the green chilies in the recipe. If you like it milder, you may use Kashmiri red chilli powder or paprika. Adjust salt according to your taste. Adding a dash of lemon juice before you serve helps increase the taste.
If you forgot to soak chana overnight, soak them for an hour or two in hot water. You can also try using canned chickpeas for this recipe.
Storage
You can store the chana masala for 3-4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It tastes even yummier the next day. You can also freeze it for later.
FAQs
atleast 2-4 hrs
If you press a chickpea, it should be soft and mushy.
Chana saag is a protein rich curry made with cooked chickpeas and leafy greensÂ
You can make it as a vegan curry or vegetarian depending on oil or ghee used for tempering.
You can serve the curry with many other dishes as a chaat or Indian street food.
Baked samosa
Aloo tikki
Buns
Related links
easy chana saag recipe
Equipment
- pressure cooker
- pan / pot for cooking curry
Ingredients
- 2 cups spinach chopped
- 3 cups Boiled chickpeas or canned chickpeas (refer notes for dried chickpeas)
- 2 medium onions diced
- 1 cup pureed tomatoes / diced tomatoes
- 2-3 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon curry powder / turmeric powder
- ½ tablespoon garam masala powder or adjust as per taste
- ½ tablespoon red chili powder / cayenne pepper / paprika powder adjust as per taste
- Salt as per taste
- 2 cups hot water
- ¼ cup coconut milk optional( it will help to balance spice)
Instructions
- In a pan or a pot, heat oil. Add onion with ginger, garlic and some salt and saute on low/medium heat until dark brown. (If you prefer the dark gravy cook as brown as possible. Switch off just before they start to burn.)
- Add the crushed/pureed tomatoes with little salt.(I have just blended fresh tomatoes here.)
- Continue cooking with little salt, once tomatoes have soften.
- Add the spices(curry powder,garam masala and red chilli/paprika powder).
- Continue cooking until the masala has mixed well.
- Add chickpeas to curry mix and hot water, Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes.
- Add coconut milk to the chickpea curry. You can adjust it according to your taste.
- Add the chopped spinach leaves and turn off the heat.
Notes
Nutrition
Conclusion: This delicious curry is a comforting meal for busy weeknights. This easy recipe is one of the all time favorite dishes and most ordered one too from Indian restaurants too. Learn to make it from scratch whether you use electric pressure cooker or large skillet.
Khaled says
I like Indin food thank you
bhavana bhatia says
Thank you for writing in.
Warm Regards
Bhavana
Sheila says
Great recipe! How many cups of dry chickpeas should I soak to yield 3 cups of soaked chickpeas?
bhavana bhatia says
Hi Sheila
Glad you liked it.
1 cup of dry chickpeas yields 3 cup soaked chickpeas.
Warm Regards
Bhavana
Joan says
I added 1/3 cup tomato paste after the chick pea-curry mix finished cooking. Made for a thicker richer tasting sauce.
bhavana bhatia says
Thanks for trying our recipe. I am glad you liked it.
That's a great improvisation, will make it next time this way 🙂
Warm Regards
Bhavana
Mavis says
I am going to make this today so healthy
bhavana bhatia says
Do try this. Let us know how it turned out.
Cheers!
Bhavana
Elizabeth says
Made this a few times, delicious recipe!
bhavana bhatia says
Hi Elizabeth
Thank you so much for your feedback.
Cheers!
Bhavana