This chana saag is a delicious way to eat plenty of leafy greens and chickpeas, two of my favorite things to eat. Tender chickpeas sit in a creamy gravy made with aromatics, Indian spices, leafy greens, and cilantro. It’s so nourishing and comforting.
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If you ever feel like giving the color green its moment, here’s a recipe to use up the miscellaneous greens sitting in the fridge. Chana saag has quite a few versions, with some of them leaning more towards chole with lots of greens in it. This is just my take on it, with a similar lush green gravy to palak paneer.
For some reason, my mom never let me order chana saag at a restaurant. I think she’s a palak paneer purist, in that nothing else is allowed to be in that green gravy. I, on the other hand, am not a purist. This chana saag recipe is great for making sure your greens don’t go to waste and for getting me excited for spring, because I’m ready to frolic. This recipe is part of my cozy lunch series, which is all about using what we have. I think it’s cool to adapt recipes to what is around you, so feel free to use any greens for this. I’m using kale and spinach, but chard, collard greens, mustard greens, or even broccoli – it all works and it’s just going to get blended into the sauce with some aromatics and spices. I’m going to have to make this at home to prove to my mom that this is in fact a concept for a reason!
How to Make Chana Saag
Prepare your chickpeas.
I am a huge advocate for pressure cooking dry beans – I really think it makes a difference when it comes to texture! I’ve included Instant Pot instructions on the recipe card, but feel free to prepare the chickpeas any way you’d like or use canned chickpeas.
Select your greens.
I used kale and spinach. If you only want to use one green, you can’t go wrong with spinach! Feel free to also throw in chard, collard greens, mustard greens, broccoli, or anything else you want. Just make sure the greens cook all the way through before blending! Some vegetables may take longer to cook than others.
Start with your aromatics.
After adding oil to a pan, add cumin seeds. Let them sizzle and add ginger, garlic, and green chilis. After a few minutes, add onions. The last step is adding tomatoes and the spices. I used cumin, coriander, red chili powder, and amchur (dried mango powder – optional, but I love its flavor).
To finish
After blending with cilantro, finish with garam masala and kasoori methi. Garam masala is best used a finishing spice because in the process of making it, the whole spices are toasted. Adding it near the end retains its flavor best. Finish with kasoori methi, which is dried fenugreek leaves and a must for making Indian food at home!
For serving
Serve with roti, paratha, or rice!
Chana Saag
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry chickpeas (3 cups cooked chickpeas or 2 15 oz. cans of chickpeas)
- 4-5 cups leafy greens *
- 1 cup fresh cilantro
- ½ cup mint (optional)
- 1 tbsp avocado oil or another neutral oil
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 1 inch ginger, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 green chilis, minced
- ½ red onion, chopped
- 1 tomato, diced
- salt to taste
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ¼ tsp red chili powder
- ½ tsp amchur (dried mango powder)
- ½ tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
Instructions
- Prepare your dry chickpeas (or use 2 cans, for a total of 3 cups of chickpeas). In an Instant Pot: if using unsoaked chickpeas, pressure cook with 3 cups water + 1 tsp salt for 60 minutes at high pressure. If using soaked chickpeas, pressure cook with 3 cups water + 1 tsp salt for 15 minutes at high pressure.
- Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and let them sizzle for 30 seconds or so before adding ginger, garlic, and green chilis. Stir frequently for 2 minutes.
- Add onion and cook until translucent. Add tomato and a big pinch of salt. Let the tomato juices evaporate a little, until the tomatoes are mushy. Then add the ground spices and gently stir them with everything else.
- Add all the greens and 1 cup water. Cover and cook over medium-low until the greens are soft.
- Let the pan cool off a bit before blending its contents with of cilantro. I blended on medium speed so it was creamy but not toooo creamy.
- Add the green gravy back to the pan, using 1 cup of water to clean out the blender. Simmer over medium-low, allowing excess water to evaporate until it is at a texture you like.
- Finish with garam masala, crushed kasoori methi, and salt to taste. Stir in the chickpeas. Enjoy with rice or roti!
Notes
If you enjoy this chana saag, you may also love…
Sarson ka Saag and Makki ki Roti
