Just Right Spinach & Chickpea Curry (Vegan) - Chole Palak
"I called this just right because it was just the right recipe for the amount of time I wanted to spend on cooking it, and it has just the right amount of ingredients, mainly pantry staples so I wasn't scrounging around for substitutes. I found this on www.manjulaskitchen.com ... she has some fabulous recipes, very easy to follow. I made her parathas as well, best ever for me. Hope you enjoy!"
photo by Jane A.
- Ready In:
- 40mins
- Ingredients:
- 15
- Serves:
-
3
ingredients
- 2 fresh tomatoes, quartered
- 1 inch cube fresh ginger, cut in half
- 1 fresh green chile (optional)
- 44.37 ml grapeseed oil (or any other light oil such as canola)
- 1.23 ml asafoetida powder (optional)
- 4.92 ml whole cumin seed
- 709.77 ml fresh spinach, chopped
- 396.89 g can chickpeas (14 or 15 oz can, won't matter much)
- 59.14-118.29 ml water
- 14.79 ml ground coriander
- 2.46 ml ground chili powder
- 2.46 ml turmeric
- 4.92 ml sea salt (or to taste)
- 2.46 ml garam masala
- fresh cilantro, chopped fine (optional)
directions
- Pull out your blender, a small one if you have it, and combine the tomatoes, the ginger and the fresh chili if you are using. Puree until completely smooth the set aside.
- In a medium sized saute pan over medium heat, add the oil. Once the oil is hot add in the asofetida followed by the whole cumin seeds. Stir - and once the spices are sizzling, add in the tomato mixture. Be careful, it will splatter. Mix to combine - it takes quite a few stirs to get it combined so don't worry. Let that saute a few minutes.
- Add the next three spices, (coriander, chili powder & turmeric) as well as the salt. Mix that together and let it all mingle together over medium low heat for about 10 minutes. It will reduce down a bit and the colour will begin to get darker.
- Add in the fresh chopped spinach, followed by about 1/4 cup of water. Add up to 1/2 cup of water if you wish. Let that cook another few minutes and then add your chickpeas. You can mash some of the chickpeas with the back of a spoon if you like, it makes the gravy thicker.
- The last ingredient is the garam masala, add it in and simmer for a few more minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro if you like. That's it!
Questions & Replies
Got a question?
Share it with the community!
Reviews
-
fabulous & easy recipe enjoyed by my whole party yesterday. No leftovers- had to make another batch today, it was just that good. -
This is just right! I loved it as a main dish. I used cherry tomatoes as it's still too early here for good tomatoes and used canned green chilis. I did the tomato/chili/ginger mix in the food processor. I had lovely fresh farmers' market spinach and chick peas I had just made in the crockpot. I loved this and will make it again--and have fun with variations. Thanks, Diner! -
We loved this recipe! It had great flavor and was easy to make. I did not have the asafetida powder or grapeseed oil and since these ingredients were optional; hopefully, it did not negatively affect the taste of the dish. We served the dish with rice and some Naan bread. Thanks for the post. Made for PAC, 2011. -
This really is 'Just Right'! I made exactly as written using baby spinach and 1/2 cup of water. The balance of flavours is perfect. Don't change a thing. This will appear often on our table -- I always have the ingredients on hand. Oh, and it served two for lunch. Yum, yum, yum! -
Wow! We loved this! It has just the right amount of spice and heat. Made for ZWT #6 - ZINGO.
see 15 more reviews
Tweaks
-
I used two small thai green chiles and it was perfect. I also added a bit of tomato paste to help with flavor.
-
This is lovely, magpie! I used Chef Kate's recipe for crock pot chickpeas (you all MUST try this!) and subbed in a big pile of kale for the spinach. It was definitely more than called for, but I admit I didn't measure. This required a bit of extra cook time and water to get the kale cooked down. I also used garam masala. Thanks for posting--this was a hit with the whole family, including the curry-loving 9 month old ;). Made for Veg Swap 35.
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
I first discovered recipezaar?when googling for some recipe that I can't even remember now.??Before long I was?totally addicted and still?find it such a helpful resource for all sorts of things. People have really great ideas on this site, good senses of humour and, well, good recipes.
