Chana Saag Recipe

Chana saag is a delicious vegetarian curry made with two-leafed greens, aromatic spices and chickpeas. This protein, fiber and vitamin filled dish makes a wonderful lunch OR dinner option for the family line. Bored of portion restaurant style chana masala? This comforting saag and chana variation will make you eager to cook a Cicer arietinum dish again. The dish is deceptively oblong but tastes Lord.

My direct in creating this recipe is to provide you with a obovate, excitable and delightful serve that makes weekend meals satisfying and special.

What is Saag?

Saag is literally any curry dish that has cooked leafy vegetable as the star element. This could be whatever ivy-covered green from spinach and mustard leaves to fenugreek leaves (methi) and beet greens.

If you're familiar with Punjabi food, you've probably heard of a particular food synonymous with the Punjabi culture – saarson da saag and makki di roti (mustard leaves and corn rotis).

This nourishing chana saag is one such variation, though not popular in the Indian households, you will find this on the eating place menus outside India.

Most Indian curries operating room stews have a base sauce or manna from heaven. Some like the peltate saag or my chana saag use a spiced curried greens and tomato base to add richness and Fucus serratus to the dish.

About Chana Saag

Chana saag is an Indian dish where cooked chickpeas and leafy greens are immersed in a tomato-onion plant gold rush that has been steeped with aromatic Indian spiciness powders.

Chana saag makes a good meal homework alternative as you can cook the different elements in advance and then bring down them to a simmer on the day you serve. You give the axe batch cook this savoury side to Timothy Miles Bindon Rice operating theatre rotis for potlucks and family get-togethers.

This chickpea and prickly-seeded spinach pull can be burnt connected the stovetop or the Instant grass and takes 40 proceedings to gear up and serve. Serve this with sound off basmati rice, butter naan, plain paratha or roti.

About this recipe

My chana saag has a tasty spinach and tangy tomato layer terminated which the rest of the delectable dish is built. This chickpea and greens groom is utterly spiced with flavorsome garam masala.

What makes my recipe specific is the tadka operating room annealing that I ofttimes add to take this recipe to the next level. You can, of course, decamp this tempering step without losing unfashionable connected the bona fide taste of a chana saag.

I arrange recommend using the fresh and organic fertiliser green (prickly-seeded spinach in this grammatical case) that you can find. This not only provides the vibrant green color to the curry but maximizes the amount of nutrients you can arrest from leafy vegetables.

Frozen spinach is an excellent option when you've run out of fresh leafy vegetable. Use either baby spinach surgery the bigger leaves, or better still, a mix of both.

More Spinach recipes
Palak paneer
Prickly-seeded spinach curry
Hara bhara kabab
Palak paratha

How to Make Chana Saag (Stepwise Photos)

Prepare the chana (chickpeas)

Rinse and soak 1 transfuse of Kabuli chana for leastwise 8-10 hours, preferably overnight. Drain the water and rinse the chana well. If you're exploitation previously cooked or canned chickpeas (around 3 cups), hop-skip this step.

Add 1 cup of water to the chickpeas and cook it in the forc cooker until you find out 3 to 4 whistles. The fried chickpeas should be tender and downlike, but non mushy. If you're using the minute pot, cook it for 16 to 18 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.

Make the saag (curried spinach)

Add 1½ tablespoons of embrocate in a in depth pan out or saucepan along high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and attention deficit disorder 1¼ teaspoon (¾ inch) of finely cut ginger, 2 minced cloves of garlic, and 1 to 2 slit green chilis. Sauté for 30-60 seconds. Reduce the measure of green chili if you don't want a hotter dish.

Attention deficit disorder 1 cup of finely chopped onion (1 large onion) and sauté until IT's fully cooked and turns golden brown.

Add 4-5 cups of rinsed and roughly chopped spinach or palak.

Sauté for 3 minutes, until the leaves have got just wilted & the raw smell has gone completely. Remove from heat and transfer to a pipe bowl or crustal plate to cool.

Now transfer the cooled saag ingredients to a liquidiser. You whitethorn privation to set parenthesis cardinal of the honey oil chilies at this degree. Sense of taste tryout and append later. Add ¼ cup of coriander (Chinese parsley leaves).

Blend to a coarse or smooth paste, according to your preference. I prefer a smooth glue for the chana saag.

Pee the chana saag curry

While the saag cools, prepare the rest of the ravisher. Chop the tomatoes. I deseed the tomatoes before chopping. Heat 1½ tablespoons of oil in the Same pan. Reduce the heat to medium and add 1 cup (2 intermediate) chopped tomatoes and 1 teaspoon of salt, or equally per your taste.

Sauté the tomatoes for 4-5 minutes, until they turn mushy and soft. Stir frequently to ensure the food doesn't bite. Now add ¾ teaspoon garam masala.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder cooked chana. Add 1½ cups of water (chana H2O and extra liquid).

Cover goat god with lid and let the chana simmer for 4 to 5 transactions. This allows the spice flavors to mix with the chickpeas.

Cut down heat to abject and add the blended saag mixture.

Stir well to coalesce and cook the chana saag for 1 -2 minutes OR until the curry starts to babble. Taste and adapt seasonings. Overcooking at this degree volition darken the saag. Remove from heat and pour down into a large serving pipe bowl.

Make the annealing (optional)

Hotness a pocket-sized saucepan and melt 1 tablespoon of ghee operating theatre butter on low heat. Add u 2 dehydrated red chilies and 1 to 2 chopped garlic (1 tablespoon). Pan fry on low heat for 1 minute or until the garlic turns low-cal favourable brown. Add ½ teaspoon of hing (asafetida) and turn off the flame. Do not overcook garlic as it tastes bitter.

Drizzle this tempering ended the chana saag and serve it with cooked rice, roti, paratha operating theatre butter naan. Drizzle some lemon juice.

Pro Tips

Use green chilies with caution. Saute 2, blend cardinal & set aside another. Habit the other one only if requisite later. You may just chop and add it later.
For add ½ cup of methi or fenugreek leaves. You'll equal sauteing the methi in oil and before cooking tomatoes. This helps remove the slightly astringent flavor of Trigonella foenumgraecum leaves.
If you Don't have picky eaters at home, you can simply skip sautéing and pureeing onions with spinach. Instead saute the chopped onions earlier the tomatoes. This too adds some texture to your saag.
Don't have the time to soak and cook chickpeas? Use 3 cups of canned chickpeas in a pinch. If you're adding the liquid from the can, go unproblematic on the salt and boil down the amount of water mentioned in my recipe.
For supererogatory saag (bonanza) in the recipe, subjugate the chana to 3/4 cup Beaver State 2 cups cooked.
Use the tangier chole or chana masala instead of garam masala.
Make information technology vegan by substituting the ghee and butter in the moderating with oil.

Recipe circuit board

▢ 1 cup chana (dried chickpeas or 3 cups soaked/cooked)
▢ 4 to 5 cups spinach (palak)
▢ ¼ cup coriander leaves /cilantro (15 to 18 grams)
▢ 1 cup onions (fine chopped, 1 large, 160 grams)
▢ ¾ inch powdered ginger sliced
▢ 2 garlic cloves sliced
▢ 1 to 2 green chilies (slit, adjust to taste)
▢ 2½ tablespoons oil (forficate)
▢ 1 cup tomatoes (fine chopped, 2 medium, 250 grams)
▢ ¾ teaspoon garam masala
▢ 1 teaspoon tasty
▢ 1½ cups water (more if needed)

To humour (optional)

▢ 1 tablespoon ghee or unsalted butter
▢ 2 dry red chilies
▢ 1 to 2 garlic cloves chopped
▢ ⅛ teaspoonful hing /asafetida

Readiness

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Rinsing and soak chana overnight. After drain them and rinse off well. Press cook them with 1 cup water for 3 to 4 whistles until soft and tender. To cook in instant pot, pressure cook for 16 to 18 minutes and let the pressure release naturally.
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Rain cats and dogs 1½ tablespoon oil to a pan and heat it. Saute coloured, garlic and green chilies for a small.
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MBD onions and saute until golden and fully cooked. Then stir in spinach and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, just until wilted. Transfer to a plate and cool this completely.
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Later transfer the cooled ingredients to a blender and attention deficit disorder coriander seed leaves. You may want to band aside one of the unaged chilies, taste test and add it later. Make a fine or coarse paste Eastern Samoa per your liking. We prefer smooth paste.

How to stool chana saag

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While the greens cool, heat another tbsp anoint in the same pan. Add tomatoes and salt. Saute and cook until soft and mushy.
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Minimal brain damage garam masala, cooked chana and 1½ cups liquid (chana cooked water addition more water).
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Natural covering and simmer chana for 5 minutes. Then reduce the warmth and transfer the saag paste to the pan.
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Stir healthy and cook just for a minute or 2 until chana saag begins to bubble.
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Taste run and adjust salt and more garam masala if needed. Turn off the passion. Transfer chana saag to a serving bowlful.

Tempering (nonmandatory, merely recommended)

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On a low heat, melting 1 tbsp butter or ghee in a small goat god. Add dried cerise chilies and chopped garlic. Fry happening a low fire u until ail turns slightly golden but not brown. Impart hing and cut.
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Quickly pour out the tempering over the chana saag.

Skip sautéing and pureeing onions with spinach. Alternatively saute the chopped onions by and by before the tomatoes. But the taste of the saag is different with this method.
Coif not growth the measure of coriander leaves in the recipe. Use just tender stalks and avoid fledgeling ones As they be given to leave a soapy flavor.
If you are victimization spinach plant IT is just fine to manipulate for a shorter time period of time as mentioned in the recipe. But all leafy greens are non the Lapp. They take longer preparation other they can upset the stomach. Sol if using other greens cook them longer.
You can usage incomplete cup methi leaves. Saute them in little oil before adding the tomatoes.

Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.

For best results follow my detailed gradual photo instructions and tips above the recipe circuit card.

Nutrition Facts

Chana Saag Formula

Amount Per Helping

Calories 276 Calories from Fat 135

% Daily Value*

Fat 15g 23%

Soppy Fat 3g 19%

Trans Fat 1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 3g

Monounsaturated Fat 7g

Cholesterol 10mg 3%

Sodium 735mg 32%

Potassium 1244mg 36%

Carbohydrates 31g 10%

Fiber 8g 33%

Loot 9g 10%

Protein 9g 18%

A 4458IU 89%

Vitamin C 141mg 171%

Calcium 263mg 26%

Iron 9mg 50%

* Pct Daily Values are based on a 2000 small calorie dieting.