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aerial shot of chana saag in a white ceramic bowl
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Chana Saag Recipe

Chana Saag is a delicious one-pot Indian curry. Learn how to make chana saag in an instant pot in a few simple steps.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Servings: 4
Calories: 358kcal
Author: Hina Gujral

Equipment

  • Instant Pot
  • Blender

Ingredients

Ingredients For Tomato Paste

  • 1 Cup tomato, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon garlic cloves
  • 1 tablespoon ginger, chopped
  • 4 Kashmiri red chilies
  • ¼ Cup hot water

Other Ingredients

  • 1 ¼ Cup dried chickpeas (kabuli chana)
  • ⅛ Cup refined oil
  • 4 green cardamom (elaichi)
  • 1 black cardamom (badi elaichi)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
  • ½ Cup onion, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon red chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1 ¼ Cup water
  • ¼ Cup coconut milk
  • 1 teaspoon Garam Masala (see recipe)
  • 2 Cup spinach leaves (palak)

Instructions

  • Soak dried chickpeas for 5 - 6 hours in 2 cups of water. Skip this step if you are using canned or pre cooked chickpeas.
  • Make a smooth blend or paste of fresh tomato, ginger, garlic, and dried red chilies using hot water. Keep it aside.
  • Set the SAUTE mode of the instant pot for 5 minutes.
  • Add oil to the inner pot. Once hot, add cardamom, bay leaf, and cumin. Saute for 40 - 50 seconds to release their aroma.
  • Add chopped onion, and fry till light golden.
  • Add the tomato paste prepared earlier, red chili powder, turmeric, corriander powder, and salt. Saute the masala for 3 - 4 minutes.
  • Add soaked chana (chickpeas) and 1 ¼ Cups of water. Stir to combine. Close the lid of the instant pot. PRESSURE COOK for 20 minutes.
  • Release the steam manually. Check chickpeas for doneness. Add garam masala, coconut milk, and spinach leaves. Stir to combine. Set the SAUTE Mode for 5 minutes to simmer the curry. Taste and if required, add more salt.
  • Serve chana saag with rice.

Video

Notes

  • If you are using canned or pre-cooked chickpeas, cook chickpeas and spinach together in pressure cook mode for 5 minutes only. 
  • The chickpeas (chana) take 3 - 4 whistles over low heat in a stovetop pressure cooker. 
  • This is a mild to medium spicy curry. Adjust the number of spices and chilies according to your taste preference. 
  • Kashmiri dried chilies are mildly spicy and give bright red color to the dish. 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 358kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Sodium: 920mg | Potassium: 862mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1945IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 119mg | Iron: 6mg