Chana palak recipe or chole palak recipe - Boiled chickpeas are simmered into flavorful, vibrant looking spinach gravy.
This is north Indian or Punjabi style of making curry. It has basic onion-tomato based gravy along with spinach.
There are no much spice powder are added here, still tastes fantastic. For spicy taste, only green chilies are added. So adjust the amount
This is very healthy and full of nutrition since it is combination of spinach and chickpeas.
You can see I have added powder from cashew nuts. But instead you can add cashew paste as well. I wanted to make this homey and so I wanted to texture in the gravy (not smooth like restaurant gravies). That's why I added powder. If you like smoother gravy then add paste.
The procedure looks very lengthy but actually it is not that lengthy. If you follow the instructions I have mentioned, this can be ready in only 40 minutes (from boiling chana to finish up curry). Obviously you need to pre-plan to soak kabuli chana overnight.
Check out more spinach based gravy
Aloo palak //  Mushroom palak //  Palak paneer //  Corn palak
How to make chana palak recipe (Step by Step Photos):
1) Wash the chole under running cold water till water runs clear. Soak them in enough water for overnight or at least 8 hours.
2) After the soaking time, discard the water. Take them into pressure cooker. Add 1 ½ cups of fresh water. Cover with the lid and pressure cook for 1 whistle on high + 20 minutes on low-medium. Let the pressure go down by itself then open the lid.
3) Meanwhile, take 5-6 cups of water into a patila or pan. Add big pinch of salt and bring it to a boil. As soon as it starts boiling, add spinach. Blanch for exactly 3 minutes.
4) Then remove the leaves and dunk them into ice cold water or wash under running cold water. This way it will stop the further cooking and the green color of spinach stays intact.
5) In the same water, blanch the tomato. For that make ‘x’ cut at the bottom of the tomato and add into boiling water and cook for 3-4 minutes. Then remove, let it cool slightly. Peel the skin off.
6) Now into the grinder or blender. First make cashew powder. Then make tomato puree and spinach puree.
7) Now heat the oil in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add cumin seeds and let them sizzle.
8) Then add chopped onion and salt. Cook till they becomes light brown in color.
9) Now add ginger and garlic paste.
10) Mix and saute for a minute or till the raw smell of ginger and garlic goes away.
11) Now add prepared tomato puree.
12) Also add coriander powder, garam masala and kasoori methi.
13) Mix and cook till all the moisture is evaporated and oil starts to ooze out from the sides.
14) Now add spinach puree. Bring it to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes.
15) Then add cashew powder and mix.
16) Add boiled chole along with its water.
17) Bring it to a simmer and cook for 4-5 minutes. Adjust the water as per your liking gravy consistency. I have added extra ½ cup of water.
18) Now remove it to a serving bowl and serve.
Serving suggestion: Serve this chole palak or chana palak recipe with roti/phulka, plain paratha, masala paratha or naan. It can be served with plain steamed rice or jeera rice.
Chana palak recipe (Chole palak recipe)
Ingredients
Pressure cooking the beans:
- ¾ cup Dried white chickpeas (Chole or kabuli chana or safed chana)
- 1 ½ cups Water
For spinach paste and tomato puree:
- 5-6 cups Spinach (palak) washed, palak
- 5 cups Water
- 3-4 Green chilies
- 1 medium Tomato
For chana palak recipe:
- ¼ cup Cashew nuts powdered
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds
- ½ of medium or ½ cup Red onion chopped finely
- 1 teaspoon Ginger paste or freshly grated or crushed
- 1 teaspoon Garlic paste or freshly grated
- 1 teaspoon Coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon Garam masala
- 1 teaspoon Kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
- Salt to taste
- ½ cup Water
Instructions
Cooking chickpeas:
- Wash chickpeas under running cold water till water runs clear.
- Soak them for 8-10 hours or overnight.
- Drain and take into pressure cooker. Add 1 ½ cups of water. Cover with lid and put the weight on.
- Cook for 1 whistle on high + 20 minutes on medium-low heat. Or cook it till they are soft.
- Let the pressure go down by itself. then open the lid.
Preparation:
- Bring about 5-6 cups of water to a rolling boil.
- Add salt to it, then add spinach, cook for 3 minutes.
- Drain all the water and run cold water to it so it stops cooking. Keep in the colander.
- Now let the water comes to a boil again. Make a cross at the bottom of the tomato.
- Blanch it into water for 4-5 minutes or till the skin will start to comes off.
- Immediately drop into cold water to stop cooking. Peel the skin off.
- Now first make cashew powder into grinder.
- After that, puree the tomato.
- And then puree spinach with green chilies. Keep them aside.
Making chole palak recipe:
- Now heat the oil in a pan on medium heat.
- Once hot add cumin seeds. Let them sizzle a bit.
- Then add chopped onion. Add some salt and let it cook till it becomes light brown.
- Add ginger paste, garlic paste. Cook for a minute.
- Add pureed tomato. Cook till moisture evaporates.
- Add coriander powder, garam masala and kasoori methi. Mix and cook for a minute.
- Now Add pureed spinach and mix well.
- Once curry comes a boil, sprinkle cashew nut powder. Mix it properly.
- Add cooked chana and mix.
- Add water if needed to adjust the gravy consistency. I have added ½ cup of water. Let it simmer for 5 minutes.
- Then turn off the stove.
So good. We really enjoyed it! Thanks.
glad to know.
Thank you for the review
Hi, I cooked spinach for about 4-5 minutes, the cookie remained good but the gravy had a lot of raw spinach taste and smell... Didn't come out well😢 I should have thoroughly cooked spinach?
Sorry I meant the colour remained well**
The spinach should get cooked well Because we are blanching and then the gravy is simmered for around 5 minutes as well. I guess this is enough time.
Did you simmer/boil the gravy for sometime?
Please suggest the ingredients quantity to cook Chana palak for 70 servings
the above mentioned quantity is for 3 servings. Please adjust as you needed