Still on the hunt for spinach themed dishes, I found this recipe for Spinach and Chickpea Curry in Fine Cooking. It is similar to a northern Indian dish called palak chole, palak being the Punjabi word for spinach and chole the word for chickpea. The dish can be made in no time at all with some basic pantry ingredients.
Curry powder, a staple in many kitchens, is not a single spice like basil or oregano but a combination of ingredients and will vary by region and country. Most curry powder recipes include coriander, turmeric, cumin, cayenne, ground ginger and mustard seed. To add to the confusion, there is also a curry plant that is supposed to smell like curry and a curry leaf plant. The leaves of the curry leaf plant are used mostly in the cooking of southern India. The leaves look like small bay leaves but are edible and have a lime-lemony taste.
Garam masala is the other spice blend in this dish. Garam is the Indian word for warm or hot and masala is a mixture of spices. Garam masala is a blend of dry roasted ground spices from northern India. Dry roasting adds to the complexity of garam masala and it is not as hot and spicy as other blends. It may contain up to 12 spices including black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, cardamom, dried chilis, mace, nutmeg and other spices. As with all spice blends they should be kept in a cool dark cabinet and have a shelf life of about six months.
Saute onion, ginger, spice blends and cayenne over medium high heat. The fragrance is absolutely intoxicating. Stir in drained and rinsed chickpeas, canned diced tomatoes and a little kosher salt. Next, add handfuls of spinach, stirring to wilt as you go. The recipe calls for baby spinach but I used garden spinach that I cut down to size and removed large ribs and stems from. This was a dish that came together in less than an hour, and that including picking, washing and trimming the spinach. Serve garnished with cilantro and some plain yogurt to stir in if you choose. Next time I think I will make some naan to sop up the juices. Leftovers are fabulous, that is, if you have them. This dish was so good, it was requested two days in a row.
Spinach and Chickpea Curry
Ingredients
- 3T canola oil
- 1/4c chopped red onion
- 2T finely chopped fresh ginger
- 1T curry powder
- 1t garam masala
- 1/8t cayenne pepper
- 1 15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 14½oz can diced tomatoes
- 1¼t kosher salt plus additional for final seasoning
- 7-8c fresh spinach, torn into 1″ pieces
- ¼c chopped cilantro
- Plain Greek style yogurt for serving
Directions
- Heat canola oil in a 12″ sauté pan over medium high heat. Add onion, ginger, curry powder, garam masala and cayenne pepper. Cook, stirring often until the onion is softened, 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in one can of drained and rinsed chickpeas, one can of diced tomatoes and 1¼t salt.
- Add spinach by the handful, stirring to wilt as you go. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the spinach is completely wilted and the flavors have melded, 4 to 5 minutes more. Season to taste with more salt. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in ¼c cilantro.
- Spoon onto a platter and serve with Greek yogurt for dolloping on top.
