Chickpeas and Spinach Masala

I am learning so much from having this blog. I feel very grateful for the exposure to other cultures that this platform provides.

One of my friends, Tamar, requested a recipe with spinach. This recipe is a blend of 2 recipes, one from Gloria at plateitupblog.wordpress.com. Gloria’s recipe is for potatoes and spinach. Here is the link to her blog:

https://plateitupblog.wordpress.com/2015/10/20/aloo-palak-potato-spinach-medley/

My second source of inspiration is from Parul Singhal, from her recipe Aloo Mutar Masala, posted earlier.

Here is a link to the original post on her blog:

https://gharkepakwan.wordpress.com/2015/12/28/aloo-matar-masala/

Essentially, I used the same method and seasoning from Aloo Mutar, substituting spinach and chickpeas for peas and potatoes. I am hoping that this will be still relatively authentic.

I made some adaptions, to accommodate more readily available local ingredients.

Chickpeas and Spinach Masala

Ingredients

1 lbs. chickpeas

1 onion, chopped

1 can diced tomatoes

1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger

1 teaspoon cumin, turmeric,

1 tablespoon coriander, salt

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

red pepper flakes to taste

16 oz. bag of frozen spinach

2 cloves fresh garlic, crushed

chopped fresh cilantro

Water to cover, or water to beans in 3:1 ratio if using pressure cooker.

Instructions

Today, I had chickpeas already prepared. These instructions would also work if using canned chickpeas.

Step 1: Sauté onion, fresh ginger, cumin, turmeric, coriander, red pepper flakes, salt, until fragrant. Add chickpeas, tomatoes and water. Simmer to blend flavors.

Step 2: Add spinach, garlic, and garam masala and adjust seasoning and heat through.

Step 3: Before serving, add chopped cilantro.

Stove top: Sauté onion, fresh ginger, cumin, turmeric, coriander, red pepper flakes, salt, until fragrant. Add chickpeas, tomatoes and water. Bring to boil and let simmer until done. Add spinach, garlic and garam masala and adjust seasoning.

 

Pressure Cooker: Sauté onion, fresh ginger, cumin, turmeric, coriander, red pepper flakes, salt, until fragrant. Add chickpeas, tomatoes and water and cook for 40 minutes to pressure and then release the pressure quickly by running cold water over the lid when done. 

Add spinach, garlic and garam masala and adjust seasoning.

Crockpot:  Sauté onion, fresh ginger, cumin, turmeric, coriander, red pepper flakes, salt, until fragrant. Add chickpeas, tomatoes and water and place in crockpot. Cook on low until beans are cooked.  Cook with enough water to cover the beans. 

Add frozen spinach, crushed fresh garlic and garam masala and adjust seasoning.

Before serving, add chopped cilantro.

Here are the pictures:

   
 
  
   
  

My husband said, “Wow! This is awesome! Throw that on a bed of rice, and we have delicious!” So, I consider that to be a vote of confidence.

I suspect that fresh spinach would bump this up to an even higher level of culinary excellence, but, I am time challenged, and I have my limits.

Even more incredible, I never could have done this prior to blogging. This has opened me up to a whole new world! Amazing!

Thank you Gloria and Parul! I hope that I did your recipes justice!