Weeknight dinners should always be simple and easy to put together. This chickpeas and spinach curry bowl is one such. All it takes is cooking the chickpeas with some dal and adding ground coconut masala and fresh spinach. The dal adds some body to the curry and the fresh masala adds to the taste. I add the spinach fresh because it wilts in the curry’s heat anyway. Blanching it would take away its flavour and freshness I thought. Pour it over some hot rice in a bowl, and you can sit tight and cozy on your couch or bed to watch a movie or TV show.
Ingredients:
Chickpeas soaked overnight – 2 cups
Tur dal – 1/2 cup
Freshly grated coconut – 1/2 cup
Dry red chillies – 3
Cumin seeds – 1.5 tsp
Coriander seeds – 1 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Turmeric – 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Method:
Cook the chickpeas with the dal in a pressure cooker – keep it on high heat till the first whistle is out, then cook it on low heat for 12-13 mins. Take it off the heat and let the pressure drop on its own.
While this cooks, dry roast the cumin, coriander, chillies, mustard seeds on a hot pan and let it cool.
Add the spices to the coconut in a blender along with turmeric and blitz with some water to get a coarse paste.
Once the chickpeas and dal are cooked, put it back on the heat on low flame. Add some water if there’s not any left in the cooker.
Add the washed spinach leaves and the coconut masala with salt.
Simmer for 6-7 mins and take it off the heat.
Serve with rice.
