Chana Saag

Ahhhh I did it!

I finally made Indian food!

I’m pretty sure I was talking about this months ago, but that’s beside the point. I made some, and it was awesome. I decided against making naan so I could focus my whole attention on what I was doing. I’m notorious for doing too much at once and screwing something up. I bought some frozen naan instead, which while good, wasn’t really naan-like.

Start to finish took a whole lot longer than I thought it would, but maybe that’s because it was my first time or because I really let it simmer down. I like it really thick and stew-y. I followed this recipe, using the evaporated milk. Now that I have a sweet zit cropping up on my chin, I’ll probably go back to using coconut milk. These are the things I do to try new recipes.

I was honestly surprised at how similar it is to the Thai curry I make all the time, but yet they have two completely different flavor profiles. I picked up a container of hot madras curry powder, which means I have no excuse not to make this again. Indian food is one of the few cuisines where I don’t miss meat. It’s filling and flavorful enough without it.

Time to check out other recipes.

Inspiration: Budget Bytes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped into quarters
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 inches of fresh ginger
• 1-3 tablespoons of curry powder
• 1-2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 1lb frozen spinach
• 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 12oz can of evaporated milk
• 1/4 cup water

Preparation

Toss the onion and garlic into a small food processor and pulse until finely chopped. I’m lazy, so feel free to mince it if by hand. Heat the canola oil in a large sauté pan on medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, stirring to coat. Grate the fresh ginger into the pan as well. Stir for several minutes until the onion is soft and translucent and the garlic is fragrant.

Add the curry powder and cumin to the mixture. Start with one tablespoon of the curry powder if you have a low spice threshold. You can always add more later. Stir it well, letting it cling to the onion mixture. It’s going to smell awesome. Add the diced tomato and salt. Stir and cook for another five minutes or so until the tomato is broken down and soft.

Add the chickpeas, spinach, and water to the pan. Stir to break up the spinach and distribute the onion mixture throughout. Bring everything up to a simmer for five minutes so the spinach can heat through. Once most of the water has simmered away, add the milk. Let it simmer to desired consistency. I let it go for 10-15 minutes before I pureed half of it in the blender to really thicken it up. Taste for more spice. I added another teaspoon of cumin and two tablespoons of curry powder before I was satisfied.

Serve with brown rice and naan.