Palak Chole Spinach With Chickpeas Indian Style

The recipe of palak chole is similar to the North Indian chana masala but with the addition of spinach. To make the curry, onion-tomato paste is sauteed with spices to which the spinach and then the cooked chickpeas are added. The recipe can be made with regular spinach or baby spinach. Instead of using dried chickpeas, which require cooking, canned chickpeas can also be used. For more spinach recipes, you can check this collection of 29 palak recipes. This is a healthy dish obviously due to the combination of spinach and chickpeas. Together with rotis or rice it becomes a complete meal. In our home chickpea is one of our favorite ingredients and we make a variety of curry recipes with it. I have shared a few such variations on the blog like:

Chole masalaMethi choleAloo chole Paneer chole

You can serve Palak chole with roti, naan, tandoori rotis, steamed rice or cumin rice. You can adjust the consistency of the gravy as per your choice. When we want to serve it with rice-based dishes like basmati rice or cumin rice then we keep the gravy slightly thin. On the other hand when we want to have it with Indian flatbreads like roti or plain paratha then we keep the gravy slightly thick.

How to make Palak Chole

1. Rinse 1 cup of dried white chickpeas a couple of times in fresh water. Then soak them in enough water for 7 to 8 hours or overnight.
2. Later the next day drain all the water from the soaked chickpeas. Then rinse the chickpeas again in fresh water a few times. Drain all the water again.
3. Add chickpeas with 3 to 4 cups of water in a 3 litre stovetop pressure cooker. You can also cook the chickpeas in a pot on the stovetop or in the Instant pot adding water as required.
4. Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon salt or as required.
5. Pressure cook the chickpeas on medium heat for 12 to 15 whistles or till they are cooked completely. Let the pressure falls naturally in the cooker then only open the lid and check the chickpeas for doneness.
6. The boiled chickpeas should be soft and tender. If not then you can cook them for some more time.
7. Drain the boiled chickpeas and keep aside.
8. Meanwhile add 1 large-sized chopped onion, 1 to 2 green chilies, 1 inch ginger and 3 to 4 garlic in a grinder or blender jar.
9. Grind or blend to a smooth paste. No need to add water while grinding or blending. Remove and keep aside.
10. In the same jar, add one large-sized chopped tomato. Grind or blend to a smooth puree. No need to add water while grinding or blending.
11. Rinse the spinach leaves very well in water.
12. Then chop the spinach leaves. Keep aside. You will need 4.5 to 5 cups of chopped spinach leaves.
13. Measure and keep all the ingredients ready for the palak chole.

Making palak chole

14. Heat oil in a kadai. Keep the heat to medium-low. Fry 1 inch cinnamon, 3 cloves, 2 green cardamoms, 1 black cardamom and 1 tej patta till they are fragrant.
15. Add the ground onion paste prepared in earlier steps. Be careful as the oil can splutter.
16. Saute the onion paste on low to medium-low heat and keep stirring often. Saute till the onion paste turns light brown.
17. Then add the tomato puree.
18. Stir and mix very well.
19. Add the following ground spices: 

½ teaspoon cumin powder1 teaspoon coriander powder½ teaspoon red chili powder¼ teaspoon turmeric ¾ teaspoon garam masala powder

20. Stir and mix the ground spices very well.
21. Continue to saute till oil leaves the sides of the masala and the color of the masala changes. The masala will also look glossy.
22. Then add 4.5 to 5 cups of chopped palak. Mix well.
23. Sprinkle salt as required.
24. Stir and saute for 4 to 5 minutes on medium-low heat.
25. Add the cooked chickpeas.
26. Stir and mix well.
27. Pour 1.5 to 2 cups water or as per the consistency you want in the gravy.
28. Add crushed pomegranate seeds powder or dry mango powder. I used ¾ teaspoon of dry mango powder (amchur).
29. Stir and mix again.
30. Also mash a few chickpeas with the back of the spoon. This helps to thicken the gravy.
31. Simmer till the gravy thickens. Make sure that the gravy does not have a runny watery consistency.
32. Lastly add crushed 1 teaspoon of crushed kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves). If you don’t have crushed fenugreek leaves then skip adding them.
33. Simmer the gravy for 1 to 2 minutes. Serve Palak chole hot with chapati, paratha, poori, naan or steamed rice or jeera rice or biryani rice or ghee rice and onion-lemon salad. They can also be packed in a lunch box with roti or poori or paratha or rice. Few more tasty Punjabi Recipes for you!

Kala chanaRajma recipeDal makhaniPalak Paneer

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter. This Palak Chole post from the blog archives first published in August 2013 has been republished and updated on 7 January 2022.

title: “Palak Chole Spinach With Chickpeas Indian Style " ShowToc: true date: “2024-09-15” author: “Alisa Hayes”

The recipe of palak chole is similar to the North Indian chana masala but with the addition of spinach. To make the curry, onion-tomato paste is sauteed with spices to which the spinach and then the cooked chickpeas are added. The recipe can be made with regular spinach or baby spinach. Instead of using dried chickpeas, which require cooking, canned chickpeas can also be used. For more spinach recipes, you can check this collection of 29 palak recipes. This is a healthy dish obviously due to the combination of spinach and chickpeas. Together with rotis or rice it becomes a complete meal. In our home chickpea is one of our favorite ingredients and we make a variety of curry recipes with it. I have shared a few such variations on the blog like:

Chole masalaMethi choleAloo chole Paneer chole

You can serve Palak chole with roti, naan, tandoori rotis, steamed rice or cumin rice. You can adjust the consistency of the gravy as per your choice. When we want to serve it with rice-based dishes like basmati rice or cumin rice then we keep the gravy slightly thin. On the other hand when we want to have it with Indian flatbreads like roti or plain paratha then we keep the gravy slightly thick.

How to make Palak Chole

1. Rinse 1 cup of dried white chickpeas a couple of times in fresh water. Then soak them in enough water for 7 to 8 hours or overnight.
2. Later the next day drain all the water from the soaked chickpeas. Then rinse the chickpeas again in fresh water a few times. Drain all the water again.
3. Add chickpeas with 3 to 4 cups of water in a 3 litre stovetop pressure cooker. You can also cook the chickpeas in a pot on the stovetop or in the Instant pot adding water as required.
4. Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon salt or as required.
5. Pressure cook the chickpeas on medium heat for 12 to 15 whistles or till they are cooked completely. Let the pressure falls naturally in the cooker then only open the lid and check the chickpeas for doneness.
6. The boiled chickpeas should be soft and tender. If not then you can cook them for some more time.
7. Drain the boiled chickpeas and keep aside.
8. Meanwhile add 1 large-sized chopped onion, 1 to 2 green chilies, 1 inch ginger and 3 to 4 garlic in a grinder or blender jar.
9. Grind or blend to a smooth paste. No need to add water while grinding or blending. Remove and keep aside.
10. In the same jar, add one large-sized chopped tomato. Grind or blend to a smooth puree. No need to add water while grinding or blending.
11. Rinse the spinach leaves very well in water.
12. Then chop the spinach leaves. Keep aside. You will need 4.5 to 5 cups of chopped spinach leaves.
13. Measure and keep all the ingredients ready for the palak chole.

Making palak chole

14. Heat oil in a kadai. Keep the heat to medium-low. Fry 1 inch cinnamon, 3 cloves, 2 green cardamoms, 1 black cardamom and 1 tej patta till they are fragrant.
15. Add the ground onion paste prepared in earlier steps. Be careful as the oil can splutter.
16. Saute the onion paste on low to medium-low heat and keep stirring often. Saute till the onion paste turns light brown.
17. Then add the tomato puree.
18. Stir and mix very well.
19. Add the following ground spices: 

½ teaspoon cumin powder1 teaspoon coriander powder½ teaspoon red chili powder¼ teaspoon turmeric ¾ teaspoon garam masala powder

20. Stir and mix the ground spices very well.
21. Continue to saute till oil leaves the sides of the masala and the color of the masala changes. The masala will also look glossy.
22. Then add 4.5 to 5 cups of chopped palak. Mix well.
23. Sprinkle salt as required.
24. Stir and saute for 4 to 5 minutes on medium-low heat.
25. Add the cooked chickpeas.
26. Stir and mix well.
27. Pour 1.5 to 2 cups water or as per the consistency you want in the gravy.
28. Add crushed pomegranate seeds powder or dry mango powder. I used ¾ teaspoon of dry mango powder (amchur).
29. Stir and mix again.
30. Also mash a few chickpeas with the back of the spoon. This helps to thicken the gravy.
31. Simmer till the gravy thickens. Make sure that the gravy does not have a runny watery consistency.
32. Lastly add crushed 1 teaspoon of crushed kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves). If you don’t have crushed fenugreek leaves then skip adding them.
33. Simmer the gravy for 1 to 2 minutes. Serve Palak chole hot with chapati, paratha, poori, naan or steamed rice or jeera rice or biryani rice or ghee rice and onion-lemon salad. They can also be packed in a lunch box with roti or poori or paratha or rice. Few more tasty Punjabi Recipes for you!

Kala chanaRajma recipeDal makhaniPalak Paneer

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter. This Palak Chole post from the blog archives first published in August 2013 has been republished and updated on 7 January 2022.