Chana Saag

File_003+%2810%29.jpg
File_002+%2813%29.jpg
File_001+%2814%29.jpg
File_000+%2819%29.jpg

I haven’t made nearly enough Indian food during this past year and given my love for lots of spice and flavor, it’s something that desperately needs correcting. Chana Saag isn’t as popular as tikki masala or butter chicken but that’s precisely why I wanted to try my hand at it. It’s a great mix of chickpeas and spinach which can be vegetarian or knocked up with a protein of choice. What I found in my research, though, is that there’s about a million different ways to cook this with different methods, spices, ratios, etc. What I came up with here is probably the most friendly insofar as I didn’t need to do much additional work aside from chopping. I think it’s great and I hope you do too.

INGREDIENTS

CHANA SAAG (makes 6-8 servings):

  • 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (optional)

  • 1 15-oz can whole peeled tomatoes

  • 2 15-oz cans chickpeas, drained

  • 1 lb fresh spinach

  • 1 large yellow onion, diced

  • 2 Fresno chilies, chopped

  • 1 TBS ginger, freshly grated

  • 5 garlic cloves, minced

  • 2 TBS canola oil

  • 1 ½ tsp curry powder

  • 1 tsp garam masala

  • 1 tsp salt

  • 1 tsp cumin

  • ½ tsp cayenne

  • ½ tsp pepper

  • ¼ tsp mustard powder

  • Juice of half a lemon

GO FOR IT

CHANA SAAG:

  1. If using chicken, cut into 1-inch pieces and sprinkle with salt and pepper

  2. In a dutch oven or large pot, heat oil of medium-high heat and then brown and cook chicken for about 8 minutes before removing and setting aside

  3. Reduce heat to medium (add more oil if needed) and add diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soften and are beginning to brown (about 10 minutes)

  4. Add garlic, ginger, and chopped chilies (keep or remove seeds depending on your desired heat level) and stir until fragrant (about 1 minute)

  5. Add in spices and stir in 30 seconds

  6. Add in tomatoes with all juices then crush tomatoes with back of wooden spoon, stirring and cooking until liquid reduces by half, then add in chickpeas and stir well to combine

  7. Add in ½ cup of water and bring to a light simmer for 10-15 minutes (Add back in chicken here too if using with a little bit more water to achieve desired consistency level)

  8. Begin adding in spinach a handful at a time, tearing apart as you add it, and stir and cook until all is added and completed welted (about 5-7 minutes)

  9. Add in lemon juice and stir, then taste and add salt and pepper as needed

  10. Serve with side of rice or naan bread

NOTES:

I didn’t make this too spicy but I do like a kick of heat. If you want to go a bit more mild then simply hold back on the cayenne pepper and Fresno peppers. If you want more heat you can also feel free to add a couple chiles de árbols, crushed red pepper flakes, or more cayenne pepper.

You also have the option to add a bit of sour cream. Most take out Indian seems to have a bit of creaminess to it and I found recipes that called for this but I enjoyed making a bit more of a stew without it and loved the result.

If anything, I could have added even more spinach. I’m used to this dish looking very very green in restaurants and it’s easy to forget just how much spinach welts under heat. Of course, 1 pound is quite a bit already so use your best judgement.