This easy Chana Saag recipe is a comforting meal prepared with chickpeas, spinach and Indian spices. Prepare chana saag just like your favourite Indian restaurant.
What is Chana Saag?
Chana Saag is a classic Indian curry you may recognise from restaurant menus. Cooked chickpeas are simmered in a delicious leafy greens and onion tomato sauce with warming spices.
Chana Saag is different to a normal chana masala or vegan chickpea curry because of the green leafy vegetable sauce.
As an umbrella term, "saag" can refer to spinach leaves, mustard greens, collard greens or basella (malabar spinach). The greens are either finely chopped or creamed into the sauce. A classic is Sarson da Saag served with Maize flour flatbreads.
We love to add spinach in this delicious Paneer Palak Kofta Curry.
In chana saag, you can either prepare the dish by added chopped spinach only or by blending spinach into the sauce, restaurant style.
Other Indian restaurant style recipes:
Black Daal (Daal Makhani)
Ingredients
Full measurements can be found in the recipe card below
Chickpeas - also known as garbanzo beans. You can use dry chickpeas or a can of chickpeas for faster cooking time. I have cooked my chickpeas in the Instant Pot electric pressure cooker.
See my other Indian chickpea recipes.
Spinach - I have used fresh spinach but you can use frozen which works just as good for this recipe. Finely chop it.
Baby spinach is easiest to find in local supermarkets and it does not need to be blanch cooked before adding to the recipe as baby spinach leaves are tender.
Onion, garlic, ginger, green chilies - crushed to a paste or finely chopped.
Tomato puree - use either crushed fresh tomatoes or tomato paste.
Spices - red chili powder (alternatively use cayenne pepper), turmeric powder, ground coriander powder, ground cumin powder, garam masala powder. Note that often ground cumin and coriander powder is sold combined
Alternatively to individual spices, use this madras curry powder or homemade curry powder made with warm spices.
Oil - I have used olive oil, you can use flavourless oil
Optional:
Cumin seeds - tempered in oil.
Lemon juice - enhances the flavours, use fresh or bottled
Dried fenugreek leaves - if you happen to have them lying around, the quintessential ingredient to your homemade Indian curries tasting restaurant style is to add a large pinch of dried fenugreek leaves or kasoori methi. I have used kasoori methi in this recipe.
Method
Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan or large skillet on medium heat. Once the oil is warm, add the cumin seeds - a teaspoon cumin seeds will do. Allow the cumin seeds to crackle and infuse their flavour into the oil.
Add the chopped onion, ginger garlic paste and green chillies. Sauté for 3-4 minutes or until the mixture has reduced. Do not cook on high heat as the mixture will burn and not properly cook
Add in the tomato puree and again cook until you see oil on the sides of the pan. Add the spices - red chilli powder, turmeric, ground cumin coriander and garam masala. Mix well.
If you are blending spinach into the sauce, add half the spinach, a cup of water and blend the masala using an immersion blender or jug blender to get a sauce.
Add the cooked chickpeas, add more water if required and salt to taste. Cook until the sauce has thickened up and turn off the heat.
If adding kasoori methi, crush a pinch in your palm and stir into the curry.
Toss in the remainder of the chopped spinach and stir in. It will wilt and will retain its vibrant green colour.
If using, add a little lemon juice or cream of choice at this stage.
Serving Suggestion
Chana Saag is best enjoyed the British Indian Restaurant way!
You need an Indian flatbread such as garlic and coriander naans, Peshwari Naans or soft chapatis.
Serve alongside jeera rice (cumin rice), plain basmati rice or Coconut Milk Pulao.
You need a bowl of Indian restaurant style Indian Onion Chutney or this Indian Onion Salad along with Indian Mint Sauce and poppadoms.
For drinks, go for Mango Lassi or a simple Sweet Lassi.
To end your meal on a sweet note, go for Gulab Jamun Cake or Vegetarian Mango Panna Cotta
Storage
Chana Saag tastes fantastic the next day as the flavours have a chance to build and deepen.
Store leftover curry in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in a pan with a tablespoon of water or heat in the microwave until piping hot.
If preparing in advance, you can always add the spinach at the last minute before serving.
Chana Saag freezes well. Place in a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Allow to thaw and reheat in a pan with a pinch of garam masala or curry powder to revive the spices. You'll have a delicious curry ready for the next time the craving hits!
Other Chickpea Recipes
Chickpea Salad with Avocado Dressing
Roasted Carrot and Chicpea Soup
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Chana Saag
Equipment
- 1 pan
- 1 Instant pot Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 3 cup chickpeas cooked
- 1 ½ cup spinach fresh
- 1 cup tomatoes crushed
- ½ cup onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 inch ginger chopped
- 2 medium green chilli chopped
- â…› cup oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder red
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves kasoori methi
- salt
- ½ teaspoon curry powder optional
Instructions
- In a pan , heat oil on medium heat. Add cumin seeds and let it splutter.
- Then add chopped onion with minced ginger, garlic and green chillies.
- Saute on low to medium heat until light brown (pinkish).
- Add the crushed or pureed tomatoes.
- Continue cooking until tomatoes reduce and the masala gets thicker.
- Add all spice powders and mix well.
- Cooking the mixture further minute or so.
- Add half of the spinach to curry mix and ½ cup water. Cook 40-50 seconds.
- Either use immersion blender to puree the mixture or transfer into the blender jug and make smooth puree.
- Add spinach puree back into the pan.
- Tip in cooked chickpeas, and some water. Mix well.
- Season with salt and add dried fenugreek leaves.
- Let the curry simmer for 10-12 minutes on low to medium heat.
- Add coconut milk to the chickpea curry, if using.
- Last, add the remaining chopped spinach leaves and turn off the heat.
- Mix well, add lemon juice (if using) and stir.
- Serve hot with rice, salad or naan, roti or paratha.
Video
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
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Tahemeem says
So creamy and so delish!!!
I absolutely love love ur pics... 🙂
nayana says
loved this healthy sprouts curry great pics...
great-secret-of-life says
so creamy and tasty curry
Second Helping says
nice recipe 🙂 Looks so delicious! Awesome clicks!
Sutapa says
delicious and healthy curry recipe shared.....looks great.....
Unknown says
delicious and healthy recipe
Nivedita Thadani says
SUPER CLICK, SUPER FOOD, SUPER POST FROM A SUPER WOMAN, LOVE YOU
Hasna says
I always wonder what to make with sprouts when my family love it. This sounds perfect nd healthy Jagruthi