Hariyali Chana Masala

Hi All!

Like my previous post of Lentil  & Spinach Sandwich, I’m posting yet again a combination of protein and greens in a very tasty ‘Avatar’. My family loves the chickpeas and that makes it easy for me to give the kid an additional dose of protein in an easy and many ways.

I was once again greedy while picking the greens from the vegetable mart. The fresh green leaves attract me so much that I’m tempted to buy them at once. And once I’ve bought them, I’m in a hurry to finish them before they perish. This curry was concocted in a hurry in order to finish a lot of greens.

Once I had finished cooking this curry and tasted a bite, I told myself of making the mistake of buying excessive greens more frequently as the curry was finger licking tasty. I gave the curry to S in his lunch box along with Phulka and fresh salad. He called me especially to tell that whatever ‘new’ I had made was extremely tasty. I was beaming with joy and was mentally saying ‘tell me something new’ as I already knew how tasty it was….

Do not relate this curry to the Chana Palak served in restaurants, as this curry not only uses spinach but many more greens, making it more flavorful. Plus unlike restaurants, I've made this very low in oil and have not used any potent spices or garam masala. So the curry retains all natural flavors of the greens..

This curry is extremely versatile, I had made it dry, as I wanted to give this in the lunch box, but it can be made in a gravy fashion and eaten with rice. The dry version itself can be eaten as a 'Chaat' garnished with chopped onions and 'Sev' as the curry itself is tangy and ‘chatpati’. The curry, when stuffed in bread, makes an excellent sandwich. I had made the sandwich for the kid’s snack box and he had loved it.

                     HARIYALI CHANA MASALA 

                                                        Serves:3
                                                        Preparation Time: 20mins
                                                        Cooking Time:15mins

Ingredients

1-1/2cups pre-soaked & pressure cooked chickpeas or canned chickpeas
1medium sized onion, finely chopped
2 medium sized tomatoes, finely chopped
2-3tsp grated ginger

To grind together

2handfuls spinach leaves
a small handful coriander leaves
a small handful mint leaves
1tbsp coriander seeds
1tsp cumin seeds

Spices

1tsp roasted cumin powder
1tsp red chili powder
3/4tsp turmeric powder
3/4tsp rock salt
3/4tsp dry mango powder (Amchoor)
2tsp coriander powder

Method

Blanch spinach and shift in cold water.

Heat about 4tsp oil.



Add ginger and sauté.



Add onions and sauté till slightly golden in color.



Add tomatoes.



Tip in all spices and salt to taste, mix thoroughly. Cook till tomatoes are mushy and oil separates.



Add the cooked chickpeas and mix thoroughly. Crush a few chickpeas to get an even texture.




Grind all ingredients under ‘to grind together’ to make a fine paste. Remember, with temperatures soaring high, the greens oxidize fast and it’s quite difficult to retain the green color. So, it’s advisable to grind them just before adding to the curry. Add the green paste to the chickpeas. Mix and cook for a minute or two.



Serve with roti/rice.

Sending this to my event ‘Only’ Snacks & Starters hosted by Raji at Vegetarian Tastebuds as this can also be eaten as a 'Chaat'. To Priya and Vardhini's Healthy diet- Vegetarian Side Dishes