Chana Palak

This unique gravy dish is made with chickpeas and spinach, both of which are high protein and iron sources.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 22 minutes
Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients:

Chickpeas (Channa)- 1 ½ cup, soaked overnight and cooked

Spinach (Palak)- 1 cup, chopped

Brinjal or Eggplant- 1 cup, peeled and cubed

Tomatoes- 1 cup, finely chopped

Cumin Seeds (Jeera)- 1 tsp

Cinnamon (Dalchini) Sticks- 2

Cloves (Lavang)- 2

Garam Masala- 1 tsp

Chili Powder- 2 tsp

Dry Mango Powder (Amchur) - 1 tsp

Coriander (Dhania) Powder- 1 tsp

Salt- To taste

Oil- 3 tbsp

To Be Ground Into Paste:

Onions- ½ cup, roughly chopped

Garlic (Lehsun)- 8 cloves

Ginger (Adrak)- 2 tsp, finely chopped

To Garnish:

Onion- A few rings

Coriander (Hara Dhania)- 2 tbsp, finely chopped

Lemon- A wedge

Method:

• Heat a table spoon of oil in a nonstick pan, add brinjal and cook on low flame for 4 to 5 minutes or until the brinjal turn soft. Sprinkle some water if required. Keep aside to cool.

• Mix the brinjal and tomatoes together in a blender and make a smooth puree. Keep aside.

• Heat the remaining 2 tbsp oil in a wok (kadhai), add jeera, and sauté for a few minutes until the seeds start to crackle.

• Add cinnamon, cloves, and onion paste, and cook on a medium flame for 2 to 3 minutes.

• Add the brinjal and tomato paste and sauté for a minute.

• Add garam masala, chili powder, dry mango powder, coriander powder, and salt.

• Now add the cooked chickpeas and ½ cup of water.

• Mix well and cook on medium flame for 2 minutes while stirring occasionally.

• Add the spinach, mix well, and cook on a low flame for 10 minutes, stirring intermittently.

• Garnish with onion rings and coriander, and serve along with lemon wedge.