Meera Sodha’s Spinach, Tomato and Chickpea Curry
A classic and simple dish from Meera Sodha's Fresh India, this Spinach, Tomato and Chickpea Curry recipe is packed with flavour and, served with basmati rice or chapattis, makes a satisfying vegetarian main course.
From the book
Fresh India: 130 Quick, Easy and Delicious Recipes for Every Day
The go-to guide for vegetarian Indian cooking
130 stunning recipes with a fresh and light feel
Beautiful puddings with Indian-inspired flavours
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Introduction
When I think of this dish, and how the words ‘chana saag’ are now familiar to so many British people, it makes me thankful for all the Bangladeshis who first came here from Kolkata at the end of the British Raj. Many of them jumped into the restaurant trade, keen to bring Indian dishes, popular with Brits in India, to our high streets. It’s thanks to them that chana saag is (almost) as popular here as it is in India.
This is my take on the classic. It’s a bit perkier than your average curry-house chana saag, and uses just wilted spinach.
Ingredients
| 3 tbsp | rapeseed oil |
| ½ tsp | black mustard seeds |
| 1 tsp | cumin seeds |
| 2 | large onions, diced |
| 5 | cloves of garlic, crushed |
| 2cm | ginger, peeled and grated |
| 1 x 400g tin | plum tomatoes |
| 2 x 400g tin | chickpeas, drained |
| 1½ tsp | ground coriander |
| 1 tsp | chilli powder |
| ½ tsp | ground turmeric |
| 1 tsp | salt |
| 500g | baby spinach, washed |
Method
Put the oil into a large lidded pan over a medium heat and, when hot, add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Stir for a minute, or until they pop, then throw in the onions.
Fry for 10 to 12 minutes, until they turn translucent and start to caramelize, then add the garlic and ginger. Stir-fry for around 3 minutes, then add the tinned tomatoes, pouring them in with one hand and crushing them with the other. Fill the empty tin a third of the way up with water and add that to the pan too.
Cook for 10 minutes, until quite dry and paste-like, then add the chickpeas. Warm them for a couple of minutes, then add the coriander, chilli powder, turmeric and salt. Toss the chickpeas around in the paste, and add the spinach – trying to fold it all in will be like pushing a duvet into a magical handbag, but it will wilt and shrink fairly quickly.
Cook for around 5 minutes, until the spinach is soft and tender, and serve with chapattis (see page 288 of Fresh India) or basmati rice, and a dollop of yoghurt.
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