By now you probably heard in the news about the crazy freezing winter weather California has been experiencing this week and will continue for another week or so. It has been wintery all over the country, but out here in the west we had some dramatic historical snow storms and rain, hope everyone is staying safe and warm.
For me a good belly warming curry is what’s needed to endure a wet/snowy/cold week. So all this week I’ll share some of my favorite winter warmers. We are revisiting our family favorite curries, specially the greens, partly because let’s face it, this time of the year the produce pickings are slim, tomatoes, squashes, cucumbers are flavorless, we’re kinda done with fall produce and cold salads are out of the question. Greens give me hope.
This belly warming curry is a combination of curried chickpeas+ spiced saag, is truly a pick-me-up. Serve it with some cumin scented brown basmati, you’re looking at a super nutritious and tasty meal. There is a lot of flavor and texture in this recipe. Bold spices, the trifecta of onions, garlic, ginger along with leeks, ground chillies add so much flavor you really don’t need the added cream or butter to make this saag creamy and delicious. Chickpeas brings in the protein and another layer of texture. Good sub would be chicken thighs or breast, about a pound of skinless boneless chicken works for people who need meat. But I highly recommend you try this chickpea version.
What is Saag
Saag is a general term used for all kinds of leafy greens, not limited spinach as its popularly recognized. In Indian cuisine, specially North Indian, Saag is a blanket term used for cooked leafy greens. These greens include spinach, fresh fenugreek leaves, amaranth leaves, kale, collard, mustard greens and so many other greens that are cooked in different ways and could be called …. Saag or Sag. In this case Chana Saag, chickpeas with greens! other dishes winter saag, methi saag (fenugreek), saag paneer, saag kofta, you get the idea. Saag can be as simple as a quick stir fry or sauté with a couple of spices or a bit more involved like this recipe I’m sharing today.
Ingredients for Saag Chana
Greens: For this recipe I choose a fresh bunch of Dino kale, about 6-7 leaves and a pound of chopped frozen bag spinach. I find adding spinach lightens the kale and adds volume. If you feel two kinds of greens are too much just use about a pound of chopped spinach or half of each.
Alliums: Onions, leeks and garlic add a ton of flavor to this recipe. Greens and garlic combination is a dream.
Ginger and Turmeric: Rarely is an Indian curry made without ginger and turmeric, specially when greens are involved, its warming, brings big flavor and beautiful color.
Spices: A classic combination of ground cumin, coriander, hot chili powder, mild Kashmiri chili powder/paprika, nutmeg, and a touch of garam masala goes into this curry.
Butter and Cream: Saag will appreciate a little butter and cream, but this is totally optional for this recipe. We’re going to pulse to partly puree the steamed greens, then add some milk to give it that saucy texture, perfect to mop up with rice. I promise you’ll not miss the cream or butter, but like I said it’s optional!
Milk: For this recipe I used thick oat milk. Other options are dairy milk or coconut milk, I personally don’t like or recommend coconut milk, because I feel the coconut flavor dominates and highjacks the flavor of the beautiful saag, but like the kids say you do you!
Chickpeas:I prefer to cook my chickpeas from scratch, but thats an extra 2 step process. A can or 2 of cooked good quality chickpeas is a quick substitute and will work perfectly. Just remember to drain and rinse out all the salty liquid it normally comes in. We’ll need about 15-16 oz of cooked chickpeas for this recipe.
Chana Saag Rice Bowl
Equipment
- Blender or Food Processor
Ingredients
- 14-16 oz cooked chickpeas, about 1½ can drained
- 6-7 medium Dino kale leaves, washed well, stripped and chopped optional but highly recommended
- 1 lb frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeeze out as much liquid as possible
- 1 medium leek, rinsed and finely chopped
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- 1 tbsp ginger, minced
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp kashmiri chili powder or mild paprika
- ½-1 tsp hot chili powder or cayenne up to one tsp for spicier curry
- 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves also called kasuri methi
- ¾ tsp sea salt + more as needed
- 1 cup full fat oat milk or other milks of your choice
- 2-3 tbsp avocado oil or ghee or any high quality neutral tasting oil will work
Instructions
- In a large pot add the chopped kale and spinach. Add about a ¼ cup water and allow it to steam. The leaves should just be wilted, about 3-5 minutes.
- Transfer the greens to a food processor, you may need to do this in batches. Pulse about 5-7 times to finely chop the greens, you may even run it for a few seconds to coarsely puree it. Set aside.
- In a large sauce pan warm the oil and add cumin seeds. Once the seeds splutter add the chopped onions, chopped leeks and sauté until soft about 7-8 minutes. Add the minced garlic and ginger and cook for another minute.
- Add all the ground spices, salt as needed and stir to mix well. Sauté for another minute and add the cooked chickpeas.
- Add about ¼ cup water and bring it up to a boil. Simmer for 3-4 minutes and add the pureed greens and dried fenugreek leaves, if using. Stir add the milk and mix well. Bring it up to a simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes, you may add more water or milk to make it saucy.
- Taste add more salt if needed. Serve with steamed rice or any Indian stlye bread like roti or naan.
Looks great!
Thank you so much, hope you give it a try.