Chana Palak Recipe (Chole Palak)

Chana Palak, or Chole Palak, is a comforting, nutrient-packed dish that brings together the earthy flavors of spinach (palak) and hearty chickpeas (chana) in a flavorful, spiced gravy.

This classic North Indian recipe is not only wholesome but also easy to prepare, making it a perfect choice for a delicious homemade meal.

If you’re looking to expand your repertoire of plant-based Indian recipes, Chana Palak is a must-try. It’s bursting with vibrant spices and packed with protein and greens, making it a well-balanced dish that pairs beautifully with rice or flatbreads like roti or naan.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about Chana Palak—from its irresistible flavors to a step-by-step recipe you can easily recreate in your kitchen. Let’s get cooking!

What Do You Need To Make Chana Palak?

Now that we’ve likely whet your appetite, why don’t we find out what ingredients you would need to create this dish?

• ¾ of a cup of dried white chickpeas.
• 1 and a ½ cups of water.
• 5 to 6 cups of spinach.
• 3 to 4 green chilies.
• 5 cups of water.
• 1 whole medium tomato.
• ¼ of a cup of cashew nuts (Powdered or cashew paste).
• 1 tablespoon of oil.
• ½ of a teaspoon of cumin seeds.
• ½ of a cup of finely chopped red onion.
• 1 teaspoon of ginger paste or freshly grated ginger.
• 1 teaspoon of garlic paste.
• 1 teaspoon of coriander powder. 
• ½ of a teaspoon of garam masala. 
• 1 whole teaspoon of dried fenugreek leaves.
• A pinch of salt.

How Do You Make Chana Palak?

Now that you’ve gathered up all of the necessary ingredients let’s find out how to put them all together in this delicious dish! 

Before we jump in, we should say that you will need to prepare ahead of time before making this meal, as you will have to soak the chickpeas for a few hours! 

Step 1 – Wash Your Chickpeas

The first thing you are going to want to do is to give your chickpeas a good wash to make them perfect for the recipe. Wash them under cold water until the water begins to run totally clear.

Once you have cleaned the chickpeas, you will then want to leave them to soak in plenty of water for around 8 hours. We recommend leaving them to soak overnight, or if you start early enough, you can soak them at the start of the day, ready for dinner that evening! 

Step 2 – Cook The Chickpeas

Once your chickpeas have soaked for the full 8 hours, you can then remove them from the water and place them right into your pressure cooker! Add around a cup and a half of water to the mix, and then leave them to cook on high for a few minutes before then leaving them to simmer for 20 minutes on low to medium heat. 

Eventually, the pressure in the cooker will reduce, at which point you can remove the chickpeas from the pressure cooker!

Step 3 – Start On The Spinach

Grab a large pan, and add 5 to 6 cups of water, as well as a generous pinch of salt. Bring this water to a boil, and then drop in the spinach! Allow the leaves to cook for around 3 minutes before removing them from the pan.

Once the leaves have been cooked, they will be much softer, and at this point, you will either want to drop them into a bowl of cold water or run them under some cold water. The reason for this is that it stops the green color of the leaves from leaking out, leaving them looking dull! 

Step 4 – Cook Your Tomato

Using the same water that you used to cook your spinach, you will want to begin blanching your tomato, ready for use in the sauce. Create a small x-shaped cut at the bottom of the tomato, and allow it to sit in the boiling water for around 4 minutes.

Once the time has passed, remove the tomato, allow it to cool, and then carefully peel away the skin.

Step 5 – Create Puree

Using a food processor, you will now want to blend three of the ingredients that you gathered earlier. First, grab the cashews from earlier, and process them into a fine powder before adding them to a separate bowl.

From here, process your spinach leaves to create a spinach puree, and again, add the puree to a separate bowl. Finally, process the tomato to create a tomato puree, and then add that to a separate bowl.

Step 6 – Sizzle The Cumin Seeds

From here, grab your pan and heat up some oil on a medium heat setting. Once the oil is nice and hot, drop in the cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle for a bit. 

As the cumin seeds are sizzling, finely chop your red onion and prepare some salt.

Eventually, you should notice the aroma of the cumin seeds becoming more prominent; at this point, you will want to move right on to the next step.

Step 7 – Add Your Ingredients

From here, drop in your chopped onion, along with a pinch of salt, and allow the onions to cook until they go a delightful golden brown.

From here, you will want to drop in your grated ginger or ginger paste, as well as your garlic or garlic paste. Mix everything together until you create a really aromatic mixture. Eventually, the powerful smell of ginger and garlic will subside slightly. 

At this point, you will want to drop in your tomato puree!

Step 8 – Continue Combining

Keep stirring everything together to ensure none of it burns while also dropping in your coriander powder, garam masala, and kasoori methi. 

Mix until all of the moisture has begun to evaporate before dropping it into your spinach puree. At this point, you will want to bring the whole mixture to a simmer and allow it all to cook together while lightly stirring for around 2 minutes! 

Step 9 – Add Cashew Powder And Chickpeas

Once the spinach sauce has been allowed to simmer for a few minutes, you will then want to drop in the cashew powder you created earlier, as well as the boiled chickpeas, along with their water. 

Lower the heat slightly to bring the mixture to a light simmer, and cook it for 4 to 5 minutes at this lower heat. Check the consistency as you stir the mixture. If you find that the sauce is too thick for your liking, then simply add as much water as you see fit to change the consistency. 

Now that the final dish is ready, all you now need to do is serve it up into some bowls and then chow down! It’s best enjoyed hot, fresh from the pan!

What Should You Serve With Chana Palak?

If you are serving up a fresh chana palak, then we strongly recommend pairing it with a bed of soft and fresh white rice. The rice will easily soak up the flavor of the sauce, and the combination of textures from the chickpeas and the rice creates a pleasant and warming eating experience.

You can also easily serve chana palak with some roti or naan and encourage everyone around the table to dip them into the sauce. We really loved doing this when we tried it. This works especially well with garlic naan, as the garlic flavor is perfectly paired with the spinach sauce to create a herby flavor experience for the mouth.

You can also easily serve up chana palak as a side dish alongside a medley of other curries to create an Indian feast that everyone around the table will love!

Final Thoughts

Not only is this chana palak dish incredibly tasty, but it is also easy to make. If you have been waiting for the perfect recipe for the dish, then make sure to try ours out. 

Let us know what you think!