Chana Saag
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.
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
*This recipe uses nearly equivalent amounts of spinach and kale. Feel free to use collard greens, chard, mustard greens, broccoli, etc.