Chickpea Curry with Spinach – Chana Palak

Chickpeas are my absolute favorite ingredient. I grew up eating chickpea curry recipes (chana masala) just like others grew up eating pasta dishes. Here’s a delicious variation with spinach: chana palak masala. “Chana” means chickpeas and “palak” means spinach. So it’s a chickpea curry with spinach. It’s one of those simple, no-fuss dishes that’s perfect for a quick dinner for the whole family. That’s why I make it several times a week!

Ingredients for Chickpea Curry with Spinach

For this curry, I used pre-cooked chickpeas—I always have some on hand in my pantry. I also used fresh leaf spinach here, but feel free to use frozen leaf spinach instead. That works wonderfully, too; I’ve done it that way many times.

The masala (which could be translated as “sauce” or “curry”) here consists of onions, strained tomatoes, garlic, and ginger. Instead of strained tomatoes, you can also use fresh tomatoes. Either chop them up beforehand or blend them in a food processor into a paste. I used my beloved mortar to pound the garlic and ginger into a paste, which brings out the full flavor of the ingredients.