Saag channa masala (spinach with chickpeas)

1 HOUR 45 MINUTES + SOAKING | SERVES 4 6 AS A SIDE OR

SHARING MAIN | EASY | GF

dried white chickpeas 350g

dried red chillies 3

vegetable oil 6 tbsp

onion 1 large, sliced

garlic 6 cloves, crushed

ginger finely grated to make 2 tbsp

green chilli 1, broken in half

cumin seeds 1 tsp, toasted and crushed

ground coriander 1 tbsp

mild chilli powder 1 tsp

tomato purée 4 tbsp

garam masala 1/2 tsp

amchoor (dried mango) powder 2 tsp

baby spinach 500g

1 Rinse the chickpeas under cold running water in a colander. Tip into a large bowl, cover with cold water and leave to soak for at least 6 hours or preferably overnight.

2 Drain the chickpeas, tip into a pan and cover with fresh water. Bring to the boil, add the dried chillies, cover and simmer for 1 hour until the chickpeas are soft (depending on the type of chickpeas, this could take up to 2 hours). Drain the chickpeas and chillies, and set aside.

3 Heat the oil in a deep pan over a medium-high heat and fry the onion for 15 minutes until deep brown. Add the garlic, ginger and green chilli, and stir for 1 minute. Add the cumin, coriander, chilli powder, tomato purée and 500ml of warm water. Return the chickpeas and dried chillies to the pan, along with 1 tsp of fine sea salt.

4 Simmer the mixture until the liquid has reduced, is thick and clinging to the chickpeas. Add the garam masala and amchoor powder, and continue to cook until the oil rises to the surface and the chickpeas are glistening. Add the spinach, stir and remove from the heat. Season and serve.

PER SERVING 6 371 kcals | fat 15.9G saturates 1.3G | carbs 33.3G | sugars 5.8G fibre 13G | protein 17.2G | salt 1G