Chole Palak (Chickpeas With Spinach)
July 7th, 2009 filed under Dal (Lentils), Subji (Vegetables), Vegan
Chickpeas and spinach is a great combination and a healthy, protein rich dish. Chickpeas immersed with spicy spinach gravy. This dish can be served with roti, naan or any other bread.
Recipe will serve 2 to 4.
Ingredients:
- 1 15oz can of chickpea (chole, garbanzo)
- 3 cups finely chopped spinach (palak)
- 2 medium tomatoes
- 1/2″piece ginger (adrak)
- 1 green chili
- 3 tablespoon oil
- 1/4 teaspoon asafetida (hing)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seed (jeera)
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder (dhania)
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric (haldi)
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper adjust to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
Method:
- Drain the liquid out of the chickpeas and rince the chick peas well.
- Blend the tomatoes, green chilies, and ginger to make a puree.
- Heat the oil in a saucepan. Test the heat by adding one cumin seed to the oil; if seed cracks right away oil is ready.
- Add the asafetida and cumin seeds.
- After the cumin seeds crack, add the tomato puree, coriander powder, turmeric, red chili powder and cook for about 4 minutes on medium heat.
- Tomato mixture will start leaving the oil and will reduce to about half in quantity.
- Add spinach, and salt and one half cup of water and let it cook covered for 4 to 5 minutes on medium heat covered.
- Add the chickpeas and mash them lightly with a spatula so they soften Note: add more water as needed to keep the gravy consistency to your liking, and let it cook on low heat for 7 to 8 minutes.
- Add the garam masala and let it cook for another minute.
Served this for dinner with hot chapatis. Lovely!
Hi Manjula aunty,
I have tried the above recipe with slight changes like spinach puree instead of chopped spinach,green peas instead of chhola and garlic instead of ginger and it just came out awesome.
My husband just loved it.
Thanks for posting wonderful recipes like this.
Manjulaji,
The recipe turned out great!
I did not have fresh spinach or tomatoes, so I substituted frozen cut spinach and a can of diced tomatoes for the recipe, and it turned out wonderful!
Easy and tasty recipe..tried it with Rajma beans! Came out absolutely delicious! Thanks
i did a littile bit of addition to this chole palak, i added another half teaspoon of chilly power along with 2 teaspoon of cumin powder and half teaspoon of chaat masala.
It was yummy too, try it out.
No doubt manju aunty that your dishes are too good… really
Wow! I finally found a terrific site to improve upon my indian cooking skills! Yeah! I’m an italian girl who is a whiz in the kitchen and absolutely loves indian food but has been very intimidated by all the new terms and spices. I’ve made two amazing dishes so far off this website, including the one listed above (chole palak) and my family including my toddler loved them both! I made one adjustment to the chole palak and that is I folded in some sliced paneer in the last 5 minutes of cooking. We are all big paneer fans and think it makes everything taste better. I can’t wait to make another recipe this week. Thank you!
Manjulaji,
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. It tasted yummy. I am new to cooking, and tried to puree the tomato using the food processor and it was not exactly liquidy. What was the blender that you used? I’d like to get the same.
Dear Manjula,
thank you for Chole Palak Receipe. I just tried it, and it came out fantastic. I am not Indian but my husband. I have eaten chole palak from Indian restaurant, but yours is the best. In the restaurant the taste was plain, but mine was a little bit sour (probably from tomatoes- I used plum tomatoes) and salty, but I love it (I love sour and salty taste). Is it the right taste for this receipe (sour and salty), my husband said that the taste was not suppose to be like that?
Thanks again, and I cooked pulao rice also and it came yummy.
I will try your other receipe.
Hello – thanks for the great recipes! Is this one possible to make without the adrak or will the taste be slightly off? I have to make a simple lunch for Jain people tomorrow – they don’t eat underground vegetables and stay away from oily/fried foods. I’m not an advanced cook and have yet to ever cook without adrak/lehson. And I was thinking of throwing in some firm tofu. Help? Thanks!
Hi Manjula, I’m Portuguese and have always loved Indian food and wanted to learn…I live in Surrey, B.C, and work with Indian co-worker, she always brings leftovers from her Mom…I’ve tried a couples recipies already, tried yours, and you make it so easy…and delicous of course…came by chance on yourwebsite when I googled you tube for Indian recipies…and thank you, wonderful website…could I ask you where you are located? What Province or State?..
Sincerely
Gina
Dear Manjula,
Everything I have ever made from your marvelous website has turned out beautifully! You are the goddess of Indian cooking.
The Chole Palak is ALWAYS a winner with people that I make it for.
Thank you for bringing good, honest, straightforward Indian cooking into my home.
Bless you and yours,
Maggie