Instant Pot Chickpea Curry with Spinach (Chana Saag)
Chickpeas and Spinach Curry in an onion tomato sauce cooked with Indian spices, it's tasty and so easy to make in Instant.
Servings 4
Calories 198kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
Measuring cup used 1 cup = 250ml
- 1 cup dry chickpeas (chole/garbanzo beans) soaked overnight
- 3 cups water for soaking
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon ginger and garlic minced
- 1 cup onion finely chopped
- 1 cup tomato puree
- 1.5 cups water
- salt to taste
- 4 cups spinach (palak)
- 1 teaspoon amchur (or lime juice)
Dry Spices
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
Instructions
- Soak chole (chickpeas) for at least 4+ hours or overnight. Drain water and keep aside.
Instant Pot Method:
- Press SAUTE on Instant Pot. Add oil, once it's hot add cumin seeds, bay leaf and let the cumin splutter.
- Then add onions, minced ginger and garlic and saute until onions for 3-4 minutes or till they turn light brown.
- Next add tomato puree and the spices like red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala and cook for 2 minutes.
- Lastly add soaked chickpeas, water and salt. Stir well.
- Close the Instant Pot with pressure valve to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 35 minutes. Once the pot beeps, let it release the pressure naturally (NPR) for 10 minutes.
- Remove lid away from you, add spinach, amchur powder, and give a quick stir. Turn on the Saute again and boil for 2 minutes till the spinach wilts.
- Chana Saag is ready, serve with hot rice, chapatis, roti & parathas.
Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method
- Follow the steps from the instant pot instructions. Give 6-7 whistles on medium flame and let the pressure release naturally. All the other steps remain the same.
Video
Notes
Spinach and Chickpea Curry Variations
- You can add hearty veggies of your choice like carrots, sweet potatoes, bell pepper, squash, and green leafy veggies like kale, mustard green instead of spinach, or a mix of all three.
- If you don't have dry spices mentioned in this recipe, you can replace them with 1.5 tablespoons of curry powder instead.
- If you want thicker gravy you can mash chickpeas a bit.
- If you do not have amchur (dry mango powder) then replace it with 1 tablespoon of lime juice.
Nutrition
Calories: 198kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 70mg | Potassium: 701mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 3316IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 94mg | Iron: 4mg