Cooking

It surprised me to learn that many Indian recipes don't take long to cook.

For the next installment of our Indian vegetarian cooking series, I bring you chole palak, or chickpeas with spinach. Chickpeas are high in protein, and this makes a complete meal when served with basmati rice or naan.

This was the first recipe I made that used a ton of spices that weren’t in my standard arsenal. All spices were ordered from The Spice House, my go-to purveyor of all things spicy.

Ingredients

• 1 15oz can of chickpeas (garbanzo)
• 3 cups finely chopped spinach *
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 1/2 inch piece ginger
• 1 green chili (I used jalapeno, seeded)
• 3 Tbsp oil
• 1/4 tsp asafoetida **
• 1 tsp cumin seed
• 1 Tbsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt adjust to taste
• 1/2 tsp garam masala

All it takes is 30 minutes, a can of chickpeas and some spinach from the crisper drawer.

Instructions

Drain and rinse the canned chickpeas.

Using your food processor or blender, blend the tomatoes, chiles and ginger to make a puree.

Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the asafetida and cumin seeds. After the cumin seeds crack, add the tomato puree, coriander powder, turmeric and cayenne and cook for about 4 minutes on medium heat until the tomato mixture reduces by half.

Add spinach, salt and 1/2 cup of water. Cook covered for 4 to 5 minutes on medium heat.

Add the chickpeas and mash them lightly with a spatula so they soften. Cook on low heat for 7 to 8 minutes.

Add the garam masala and cook for another minute. Serve with basmati rice or naan.

Results

“What is this?” asked the Tiny Kitchen Assistant. He took a bite. Then another. “This is good! I like it with the rice.” Score another victory for Mom.

* I wasn’t sure if 3 cups chopped spinach should be measured before or after the chopping. I measured before and the recipe seemed to have the right proportions.

Tags: easy, Indian, main dish, meatless, Recipe, side dish, stovetop, vegetables, veggies

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