Vegan Palak Chole
You might have tried chole or chana masala at restaurants. If you like chickpeas and spinach, this dish is for you. Its super healthy because of both ingredients and taste amazing.
Every time I make chole and I have leftovers. I add blanch some spinach and make sauce out of it and add it to the chickpeas. It’s really big part of my meal planning to make one dish and stretch it out to another one.
It really tastes so good when I prepare it with leftover chana masala. As with any Indian food, it tastes better the next day because of all the spices get to hang out and it intensifies the flavors. So, one week we will eat chana masala and the next week I will add some spinach.
The recipe is very easy to make. It has the same base I use for all my recipes. The onions, garlic, ginger, and tomatoes get cooked and then sometimes I blend it, but in this recipe, I did not blend them as I am not looking for extremely smooth gravy. I prefer chunky kind of gravy.
As with any Indian recipes, the spices we use are mostly same red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala. They all add their distinct flavor so I have to say they are not optional however you can adjust them to your preference.
I also added cashews to add creaminess. If you are allergic to cashews, add skinless almonds in same quantity or sunflower seeds. Or you can completely leave it out. It still tastes amazing. Another idea is to add cashew butter. I often stir in some cashew butter in my gravies to make them richer.
I usually make tomato onion base and keep it in frozen ready to use. Sometimes I even boil extra beans and store them. If you do that, this dish comes together in literally 10 minutes.
Otherwise also, it takes no time to cook it with canned chickpeas. As the only wait time is for chickpeas to be soaked and boiled. But, if your meal plan is in place, that takes just extra planning on our part.
You can veganize it by using oil instead of ghee. I make cashew cream by blending cashews with water until it resembles smooth and creamy.
I hope you like this healthy and delicious dish. It’s our favorite.
Vegan Palak Chole
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups boiled chickpeas (3/4 cup dry)
- 3 cups spinach approx. 10 oz
- 2 tbsp ghee or oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 to matoes
- 2 tbsp ginger grated
- 3 cloves garlic grated
- 1 green chili
- 1 tbsp cashew nuts
- 2 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 1 -2 tsp garam masala
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- In a pot or pan, blanch roughly chopped spinach until wilted with cashews and ½ cup water for 2 minutes on medium heat. Let it cool down and blend it into smooth sauce.
- Take 2 tbsp. ghee or oil in a pan on medium heat. Once it is hot, add cumin seeds. As soon as they splutter, add chopped onions, garlic, ginger and green chili. Sauté it for few seconds or until onions turn translucent.
- Once the onions are cooked, add the tomatoes. Saute for another few seconds and add the boiled chickpeas. Add the spices and salt. Add ¼ cup water and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Once the water reduces, add the spinach sauce/gravy and mix well.
- Let it cook for 1-2 minutes or until it has thickened to a consistency if your preference.
- Serve it with hot paranthas or steamed rice with side of salad.
Notes
- You can boil chickpeas at home or use canned chickpeas.
- You can increase or decrease spices to your liking.
- You can add 1 tbsp. heavy cream or cashew cream, optional.
XO, Devangi