Chole Palak Recipe : Spicy Spinach Chickpea Curry!

8 years ago

The English name for Chole Palak can be spinach chickpeas curry! The wholesome Punjabi meal never lets one down with its rustic flavors and luscious taste. It is a North Indian style of the chickpea curry. The recipe is almost same as Chole made with Chole Bhature. The only difference is an addition of spinach. The spice powders and condiments used in the Chole Palak Recipe enriches the taste and flavors of the dish. It is a one dish meal which is best when you have to think for quick lunch or dinner meal. Because it is the powerhouse of proteins, nutrients and minerals like iron, it is even more preferable over other one pot meals.

Chole Palak

  • Author:
  • Recipe Category: Punjabi Dish
  • Cuisine: Indian

Description: The chole palak recipe is easy and quick to make at home with spinach and chickpea.The spice powders used in the dish enriches its taste and flavors.

Chole Palak Recipe

Ingredients for Chole Palak Recipe:

  • Chopped Spinach/ Palak – 5 cups
  • Dried White Chickpeas/ Kabuli Chana – 1 cup
  • Tomato ( pureed ) – 1 ( large size )
  • Water – 1½ – 2 cups
  • Oil – 3-4 tbsp.
  • Dry Mango Powder/ Amchur Powder – ½ tsp.
  • Kasuri Methi Crushed – 1 tsp.
  • Cumin Powder/ Jeera Powder – 1 tsp.
  • Coriander Powder/ Dhania Powder – 1 tsp.
  • Red Chili Powder – ½ tsp.
  • Turmeric Powder/ Haldi – ¼ tsp.
  • Garam Masala/ Chana Masala Powder – ¾ tsp.

Note: You can use baby spinach as well. If you want, you may use Rajma or Black Eyed Beans as an alternative to Chickpea. Use saffola oil while cooking.

For Paste:

  • Onion – 1 ( large size )
  • Green chili – 1-2 pieces
  • Garlic – 4 cloves
  • Ginger – ½ inch

Whole Spices:

  • Cinnamon/ Dalchini – 1 inch
  • Cloves/ laving – 2 units
  • Green cardamom/ Elaichi – 2 units
  • Bay leaf/ Tej Patta – 1 unit

Method for Chole Palak Recipe:

  • Soak the chickpeas in water for 7-8 hours or overnight.
  • Drain the excess water from the soaked chickpeas.
  • Now take a pressure cooker, add soaked chickpeas and 3-4 cups of water.
  • Also, add salt to taste.
  • Now pressure cook until Chole is completely cooked.
  • Till the time the Chole is boiling make the puree.
  • Take a blender or grinder jar add onion, green chili, Ginger and Garlic. Blend to a smooth paste. Do not add water. Take out in a bowl and keep aside.
  • Now add tomato in the jar. Blend to a smooth puree. Take out in a bowl and keep it aside.
  • Let the air escape on its own then open the pressure cooker. Strain the Chole with the help of a strainer and keep it aside.
  • Rinse Spinach Leaves/ Palak very well with water.
  • Chop the spinach leaves finely.
  • Now heat oil in a kadhai. Add cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaf and cloves. Fry until they are fragrant.
  • Now add onion Ginger garlic paste.
  • Sauté for 2-3 minutes or it is light brown on low flame. Keep stirring.
  • Now add tomato puree. Stir well and fry for about 1 minute.
  • Now add all spices. Add turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, red chili powder. Mix all ingredients properly.
  • Sauté until the oil leaves the sides of the gravy and the gravy is well cooked.
  • Now add chopped spinach leaves. Mix well
  • Add salt to taste and mix well.
  • Cook for 4-5 minutes while stirring occasionally.
  • Now add boiled Chole and 1½ – 2 cups of water.
  • Mix everything well.
  • Add dry mango powder/ amchur. Again mix properly.
  • Also, mash some Chole with the help of a spatula.
  • Now simmer and cook until the gravy becomes thick.
  • Lastly add kasuri methi and garam masala.
  • Simmer for 1-2 minutes. Switch off the stove.
  • Palak Chole is ready to eat.

And the delicious and tasty Palak Chole Recipe is ready!

Note: Be careful when you mash the Chole.

Additional Information:

  • Calories: 255 calories
  • Total Time: PT55M
  • Serves: 4
  • Date Published:

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The Chana is mostly served in gurdwaras along with Puri. This Prasad is liked by almost all of us. Thus this Chole Palak will also be liked by all. The addition of spinach enhances the taste of the dish. I think not only the taste but the nutritional value is also increased by an addition of spinach. The fantastic flavorful fragrance of this dish makes it highly alluring and creamy texture gives a tempting look. The vibrant spinach not only compliments with the white colored chickpea but also compliments the looks of the dish.

Basically, here a gravy of onion and tomato is made along with garlic and ginger to which spices are added. In that, I have added spinach and boiled chickpeas. The chickpea is boiled and then mixed into the creamy gravy of spinach. Therefore there is a wonderful balance of flavors and beautiful blend of healthy ingredients in this dish.

Chickpeas are not only tasty but healthy also. Chickpeas are nutrient-dense food, providing rich content of protein, dietary fiber, folate, and certain dietary minerals such as iron and phosphorus. Spinach is very rich in iron. It also provides dietary fiber. This dish is apt for the diabetic people.  It is a low fat curry which is also light on the stomach.

Here I have chopped the spinach leaves. You can make a puree also. If you don’t like the chewy texture of Palak you can make a puree of it. To make puree you need to boil the spinach leaves first and then make a puree of it.

The aroma of the spices and the amalgamation of chickpeas and spinach in onion and tomato gravy will surely give your palate a pungent tickle. It is a lot easier to make at home, you only have to have core ingredients along with some basic spice powders. Follow the detailed instructions step by step and your dish is ready in minutes.

Remarks:

  • Total time of cooking of Chole Palak Reipce is 55 minutes.
  • The measure of ingredients mentioned in the recipe serves 4 people.
  • Instead of using chopped spinach you can also make a gravy of spinach.
  • To make the gravy first boil spinach and then grind it to a smooth puree.
  • You can also add some fresh cream at the last step. This gives a rich taste to the dish.
  • Be careful while you cook the green veggies, they are tender, so do not overcook.
  • Instead of amchur powder, dry pomegranate seeds can be used.
  • If you are not used to eating spices, then you may skip adding some.
  • Add salt with caution because boiled Chole have salt in it.
  • Instead of dry chickpeas, canned chickpeas can also be used.
  • If do not have spinach, you can substitute Kale for it. But it would change the texture and taste a bit as Kale retains the crunchiness. Spinach is soft.

Garnishing:

Serve hot with Phulka roti, naan, puri, paratha, tandoori roti. To make it a complete meal also serve jeera rice or any rice along with fried or roasted Masala Papad.  You can keep Barfi for sweet and lastly Lassi for the drink. The side accompaniment of chilled raita will enrich the taste of this Punjabi platter.

Garnish it with

  • Coriander Leaves.
  • Grated Cheese
  • Chopped Onions
  • Slit Green Chilies
Quick Tip:

You can also eat this palak Chole with any bread like brown bread, white bread, Italian Herb Bread or Honey Oats Bread.

Serve hot with phulkas roti, Nan, Puri, any type of paratha, Luchi or tandoori roti. Serve hot with plain rice or Jeera rice. You can also eat this Palak Chole with Palak Paratha or white bread.

The other Punjabi dish which is famous and made from Chole is Chole Bhature. Whereas the other kind of snacks and food item made from Chickpea are Kala Chana Chaat, Aloo Chana Chaat, and normal Chana Chaat. The South Indian dish Kadala Curry is also made from chickpea and taste delicious.

If you are looking more food dishes from Spinach then you may try healthy, tasty, quick, and easy to make at home Spinach Soup. Even you make can Palak Paratha, Palak Rice or Palak Pulao, the famous Punjabi dish Palak Paneer, Palak Sag, Palak Pakora, Palak Raita, Palak Kabab, Palak Dal and much more.

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