Chole Palak or Chana Palak Curry is a delectable gravy recipe of white chana or chickpeas cooked with spinach in spices and seasonings. Palak chole is an extremely popular north Indian dish in Punjabi style, especially eaten with steamed rice or jeera rice and phulkas, puris or parathas. It pairs very well even with butter naan. Chole palak curry recipe is indeed a healthy and complete meal loaded with goodness of spinach and chickpeas. It is an absolutely easy, simple and super yummy spinach chickpea curry that takes exactly 20 minutes, if you have boiled or canned chickpeas handy. Here is how to make chole palak recipe at home.
Palak Curry with Chickpeas
Call it chana palak or palak chole or spinach chickpea curry, but this simple yet deliciously tempered chana palak curry steals the show. You may feel the steps of the recipe to be lengthy, but trust me, it is very easy. Furthermore, if you have boiled chickpeas or canned chickpeas handy, and spinach puree already stocked up with you, then chana palak curry recipe will be ready in no time. The reason why I quickly whipped it up today, because, I already had boiled chickpeas frozen with me. And, my house help got some really fresh spinach from the farm, so the meal for the day was sorted.
Yes, usually, I always freeze a batch or portions of boiled chickpeas, so that the food will be ready in a very short time. Also, let me share an idea to you, I do freeze blanched and pureed spinach in portions, to use it as an when required. This process makes the job so much easier and in no time you can prep up for palak paneer or chole palak curry recipe, murgh saagwala or gosht saagwala or any palak recipes. Isn't that amazing? Indeed yes.
Chana Palak Curry Ingredients:
The easy chole palak curry recipe, need few basic ingredients available in our pantry. We need, a good fresh spinach for the recipe. Furthermore, I have used the boiled chana as it was stocked up in my freezer already, off loading my job of soaking and pre-boiling it. If do not have canned chickpeas or boiled chick peas handy, then soak a cup of chickpeas in enough water overnight. Then, strain water and boil it plain in enough water until done and then proceed with making the chole palak curry. The rest of the ingredients to prep up for masala base, we need chopped onions, tomatoes, ginger juliennes, ginger paste, garlic paste and green chili paste. However, you can also use chopped or grated ginger, garlic and green chilies.
Then coming to the dry spice powders, we need red chili powder, turmeric, coriander powder, cumin powder and garam masala powder. For the whole spices, I have used, cumin seeds, black peppercorns, cinnamon sticks and bay leaves. Finally we need, the tempering ingredients, oil, cumin seeds, dried red chilies, garlic slices and a pinch of asafoetida or hing. So ladies, up your sleeves and prep up the ingredients to make best chole palak curry recipe for your loved ones at home.
Chana Palak Curry Recipe:
Chole Palak | Chana Palak Curry
Ingredients
to prepare chole palak curry:
- 2 cup chole or white chana or chickpea (boiled or canned)
- 150 gm Spinach (palak) (cleaned and washed)
- ¾ tsp Ginger (juliennes)
- ½ cup Onion (finely chopped)
- ¾ cup Tomatoes (finely chopped)
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste
- ¾ tsp Green chilli paste
- 1 teaspoon Ginger paste
- ¾ tsp Red Chili Powder
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon Coriander powder
- ¾ tsp Cumin Powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
- 3 tablespoons oil
- Salt to taste
- Enough water and a pinch of soda to blanch spinach
whole spices:
- 6-8 black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 inch stick cinnamon
- 1-2 bay leaves
to temper chole palak curry:
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
- 3-4 Red chili (whole)
- 1 tsp Garlic (sliced)
- a pinch of hing
- 2 tablespoons Oil
Instructions
To make spinach puree:
- In a large pan or vessel, boil enough of water. Then, add soda and spinach. Allow the spinach to blanch in the water for 2-3 minutes.
- Take the blanched spinach out and immediately put them in ice cold water for couple of minutes
- Put the blanched spinach into a blender
- Blend the spinach to a smooth puree
To make chole palak curry:
- Firstly, heat oil in a pan or kadhai
- Once the oil heats up, add cumin seeds, cinnamon, black pepprcorns and bay leaves, fry for few seconds until aromatic.
- Then, add ginger paste, garlic paste and green chili paste and fry until raw smell goes off
- Now, add red chili powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder, stir until mixes well
- Then add salt and tomatoes and mix. Cook on high until tomatoes gets soft.
- Once the tomato masala base is ready, add boiled chickpeas and mix well.
- Then add, water, garam masala powder, cumin powder and ginger juliennes, mix and bring it to a boil.
- Cover and cook for 5 minutes until spices are mixed and done well
- Then, add pureed spinach, mix and cook for another 5 minutes. Adjust the consistency of the gravy as per your need.
For chana palak curry tadka:
- Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds and fry for few seconds until aromatic
- Then, add garlic and fry until just golden
- Add red chilies and fry for another few seconds taking care not to burn garlic and chilies. Then, add pinch of hing and immediately take it off the heat
- Pour the tadka over cholae palak curry and serve.
Nutrition
How To Make Chole Palak Curry Recipe (Chana Palak) step by step:
To make spinach puree:
- In a large pan or vessel, boil enough of water. Then, add soda and spinach. Allow the spinach to blanch in the water for 2-3 minutes.
2. Take the blanched spinach out and immediately put them in ice cold water for couple of minutes
3. Put the blanched spinach into a blender
4. Blend the spinach to a smooth puree
To make chole palak curry:
- Firstly, heat oil in a pan or kadhai. Once the oil heats up, add cumin seeds, cinnamon, black pepprcorns and bay leaves, fry for few seconds until aromatic.
2. Then, add ginger paste, garlic paste and green chili paste and fry until raw smell goes off
3. Now, add red chili powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder, stir until mixes well
4. Then add salt and tomatoes and mix. Cook on high until tomatoes gets soft.
5. Once the tomato masala base is ready, add boiled chickpeas and mix well.
6. Then add, water, garam masala powder, cumin powder and ginger juliennes, mix and bring it to a boil.
7. Cover and cook for 5 minutes until spices are mixed and done well
8. Then, add pureed spinach, mix and cook for another 5 minutes. Adjust the consistency of the gravy as per your need.
For chana palak curry tadka:
- Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds and fry for few seconds until aromatic
2. Then, add garlic and fry until just golden
3. Add red chilies and fry for another few seconds taking care not to burn garlic and chilies. Then, add pinch of hing and immediately take it off the heat
4. Pour the tadka over chole palak curry and serve.
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