Best Chana Saag Recipes

CHANA SAAG

Steps:

• Rinse chickpeas and roughly chop baby spinach.
• Heat oil over medium heat. Add cardamom and cinnamon. Wait for a minute.
• Increase heat to medium-high. Add garlic and cook till it starts to change color. Then add onions and sauté until golden.
• Reduce heat to medium. Add turmeric powder, ground coriander, chili powder, garam masala and salt. Mix well for a minute.
• Add ginger. Stir for a few seconds. Add tomatoes and sauté for 3-4 minutes till well blended.
• Add chickpeas. Stir fry for 4-5 minutes. Cook covered for 10 minutes until chickpeas turn slightly soft.
• Add half of the spinach, stir, and put lid on saucepan for 1 minute. Remove lid and add the other half of the spinach and repeat the covering process.
• Remove lid and simmer uncovered for 10 minute, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in yogurt, or use as topping
• Serve hot with Basmati rice or potatoes.

SAAG CHANA

Steps:

• Heat the coconut oil in a large frying pan, and add the onion, ginger and garlic and stir fry on medium heat for 3-5 minutes or until softened.
• Add the cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric, coriander and chilli powder to your onion mixture and stir fry for another 2-3 minutes till the spices become fragrant.
• Add the chickpeas and stir fry for another 5 minutes, then add the chopped tomatoes and a little water, cover and cook for another 5 minutes then add half the spinach and cover again till the spinach wilted. Stir well.
• Add the last of the spinach and cover once more till the spinach has wilted. Add a little more water if needed. Simmer for another 5-10 minutes then switch off the heat and stir through the garam masala and serve atop some steamed basmati.

CHANA SAAG

Steps:

• Heat a large sauté pan at medium heat. Add the oil and butter and let it heat through just until a drop of water added to the pan sizzles. If using black mustard seeds, Add to the oil. Let them sizzle in the oil for two minutes (they may begin to pop). Shake your pan to keep them from burning. Add the onions and sauté for 5-7 minutes, until the onions are getting translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for another two minutes. If anything is getting brown, turn your heat down a little. Add the spices and salt, stir constantly for one minute. (Add mustard powder if not using seeds). After a minute, pour in ½ of your tomato can and sauté for another minute. Add the remaining tomatoes and sauté for another minute. Add the chickpeas and sauté for another minute. Add spinach and sauté for another minute. If there is no liquid left in our pan at this point, add ¼ cup water. Allow to simmer for five minutes.

CHANA SAAG

Steps:

• Saute onion and jalapeno in olive oil and butter for about 5 minutes until softened.
• Add garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander seed, turmeric, and curry powder. Saute 2-3 minutes more.
• Add tomato, spinach, beans, water and salt. Bring to a simmer and partially cover. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
• Combine milk and sour cream until sour cream is dissolved. Temper with some liquid from the pan and then stir into pan. Add garam masala. Simmer a few minutes more. Garnish with chopped fresh coriander.

BUDGET BYTES' CHANA SAAG

Steps:

• Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add both to a large skillet with the olive oil. Use a vegetable peeler or the side of a spoon to scrape the skin from the ginger. Once peeled, grate the ginger on a cheese grater straight into the skillet. Sauté the onion, garlic, and ginger over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is soft and transparent. While these are cooking, dice the tomato.
• Add the curry powder and cumin to the skillet and continue to stir and cook for one minute more. Add the diced tomato and salt. Continue to cook for about five minutes more, or until the tomato has broken down and is no longer holding its diced shape.
• Drain the chickpeas in a colander and give them a quick rinse. Add the rinsed chickpeas, frozen spinach, and a half cup of water to the skillet. Stir everything together and then bring it up to a simmer over medium heat. Let the mixture simmer for five minutes so that the flavors can meld and everything heats through.
• After five minutes most of the water should have simmered away. Turn the heat down a bit (medium-low) and add the evaporated milk. Depending on how thick you want the sauce, you can either just heat through or let it simmer until thickened. If you prefer a smoother Chana Saag, you can use an immersion blender to purée some of the mixture, or transfer half of it to a blender and carefully purée it.* I left mine chunky. Once it's heated through, adjust the salt and curry powder to your liking.

SAAG CHANA

Steps:

• Rinse chickpeas and roughly chop baby spinach. Heat oil over medium heat. Add cardamom and cinnamon. Wait for a minute. Increase heat to medium-high. Add garlic and cook till it starts to change color. Then add onions and sauté until golden. Reduce heat to medium. Add turmeric powder, ground coriander, chili powder, garam masala and salt. Mix well for a minute. Add ginger. Stir for a few seconds. Add tomatoes and tomato paste and sauté for 3-4 minutes till well blended. Add chickpeas. Stir fry for 4-5 minutes. Cook covered for 10 minutes until chickpeas turn slightly soft. Add half of the spinach, stir, and put lid on saucepan for 1 minute. Remove lid and add the other half of the spinach and repeat the covering process. Moments before serving, add kale (if using) and stir. Serve hot with paratha and Basmati rice.