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Quick Indian Spinach and Chickpea Curry 780 | Umami Girl-2
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4.92 from 12 votes

Spinach and Chickpea Curry

It amazes me that a dish so full of flavor can be ready in 20 minutes. This is some of our favorite healthy comfort food. I hope you'll return to it again and again, whenever you need it most.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Beans + Lentils
Cuisine: American
Keyword: spinach and chickpea curry
Calories: 574kcal
Author: Carolyn Gratzer Cope

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons safflower oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion diced small
  • 4 medium garlic cloves minced
  • 1- inch piece fresh ginger peeled and minced
  • 1- inch piece fresh turmeric peeled and minced
  • ½ teaspoon brown/black mustard seeds
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 pound baby spinach leaves
  • 2 15.5- ounce cans chickpeas rinsed and drained
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Warm the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Add the onion along with a good pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
  • Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Cook, stirring frequently, until very fragrant and lightly browned, a minute or two.
  • Reduce heat to medium. Add the spinach by the handful, incorporating more as soon as each handful wilts enough to make space. Stir as you go to distribute the onion and spice mixture throughout.
  • As soon as you've added all the spinach, pour in the chickpeas. Sprinkle with the garam masala, cayenne another pinch of salt, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.
  • Add the cream, give it all a good stir, and simmer for a minute or two, until the cream thickens slightly but the spinach is still nice and green.

Notes

  1. Safflower oil is my high-heat, neutral-tasting vegetable oil of choice. You can substitute canola, peanut, sunflower, vegetable oil blend, or any other oil with similar characteristics.
  2. I sometimes use a large shallot instead of the onion (as you can see in the video and process photos). Feel free to do the same if you like.
  3. If you can't find fresh turmeric, substitute ½ teaspoon ground turmeric.
  4. Use black (sometimes called brown) mustard seed, which is different from yellow mustard.
  5. Canned chickpeas make this dish quick and easy, and they work great here. You can cook your own chickpeas from dried, of course, if you like. The two cans in this recipe equal about 3 ½ cups of cooked chickpeas.
  6. For a vegan option, substitute full-fat canned coconut milk or cashew cream for the heavy cream.
  7. White basmati rice makes a great accompaniment to this dish and cooks in a very similar timeframe.
  8. This dish is ready to eat right away, but the flavors only get better with time. If you like, you can make it earlier in the day if you like and let it sit at cool room temperature, then reheat gently before serving.
  9. Leftovers will keep well, tightly sealed in the fridge, for three or four days.
This recipe was first published in 2016. I've updated the post to add more useful information, but the recipe is unchanged.

Nutrition

Calories: 574kcal | Carbohydrates: 82.7g | Protein: 23.8g | Fat: 20.2g | Fiber: 16g