A chickpea curry with spinach and a red chilli on top

Saag chana masala

Name: Saag chana masala
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: Serves 4-6 as a side or sharing main
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 350g dried white chickpeas; 3 dried red chillies; 6 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 large onion sliced; 6 cloves garlic crushed; finely grated to make 2 tbsp ginger; 1 green chilli broken in half; 1 tsp cumin seeds toasted and crushed; 1 tbsp ground coriander; 1 tsp mild chilli powder; 4 tbsp tomato purée; ½ tsp garam masala; 2 tsp amchoor (dried mango) powder; 500g baby spinach

Asma Khan

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Serves 4-6 as a side or sharing main

Easy

Total time: 1 hr and 45 mins

+ Soaking

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Green and red chillies elevate this spinach and chickpea curry, the perfect veggie Indian side dish or sharing main from Asma Khan of Darjeeling Express

Gluten free

Vegan

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Alternatives

Complete the dish

Make this saag chana masala, then check out our chana masala, saag aloo, saag paneer, chicken saag and more easy curry recipes.

Ingredients

Nutrition

350g dried white chickpeas
3 dried red chillies
6 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion

sliced
6 cloves garlic

crushed
finely grated to make 2 tbsp ginger
1 green chilli

broken in half
1 tsp cumin seeds

toasted and crushed
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp mild chilli powder
4 tbsp tomato purée
½ tsp garam masala
2 tsp amchoor (dried mango) powder
500g baby spinach

Nutrition: per serving

kcal371
fat15.9g
saturates1.3g
carbs33.3g
sugars5.8g
fibre13g
protein17.2g
salt1g

Method

step 1

Rinse the chickpeas under cold running water in a colander. Tip into a large bowl, cover with cold water and leave to soak for at least 6 hours or preferably overnight.
step 2

Drain the chickpeas, tip into a pan and cover with fresh water. Bring to the boil, add the dried chillies, cover and simmer for 1 hour until the chickpeas are soft (depending on the type of chickpeas, this could take up to 2 hours). Drain the chickpeas and chillies, and set aside.
step 3

Heat the oil in a deep pan over a medium-high heat and fry the onion for 15 minutes until deep brown. Add the garlic, ginger and green chilli, and stir for 1 minute. Add the cumin, coriander, chilli powder, tomato purée and 500ml of warm water. Return the chickpeas and dried chillies to the pan, along with 1 tsp of fine sea salt.
step 4

Simmer the mixture until the liquid has reduced, is thick and clinging to the chickpeas. Add the garam masala and amchoor powder, and continue to cook until the oil rises to the surface and the chickpeas are glistening. Add the spinach, stir and remove from the heat. Season and serve.

Try our delicious spinach, chickpea and potato curry...

Authors

Asma Khan at Darjeeling Express

Asma Khan

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