Channa Saag (Indian Spinach with Chickpeas)

For the past few Easters we've been participating in an Indian food pot-luck dinner with friends from church. This year I decided to make channa saag, a dish with spinach and chickpeas. I used to make saag paneer, which is the same spinach sauce but with cheese cubes instead of chickpeas. But since soft cheeses don't work so well for us anymore, I thought I would try out the dish with chickpeas instead. Fortunately, the girls, Michael, and I all like it just as well. In addition, it's a whole lot easier to make since I just have to open up a can of chickpeas instead of making the paneer from scratch. And trust me, even though the ingredient list is long, this recipe is easy and really doesn't take all that long to make. If you like your food spicier, increase the amount of black pepper and cayenne pepper.

Channa Saag (Indian Spinach with Chickpeas)
serves about 4 adults

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 large onion
• 2 10-ounce packages of frozen chopped spinach
  
• 3 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. paprika
  
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric (optional -- this isn't critical if you don't have it)
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 14 or 15-ounce can of organic chickpeas. The can should contain just chickpeas, water, and salt.
• 13 ounces (1 1/2 liquid cups) pureed or crushed tomatoes. This is half of a box of Pomi strained tomatoes. If you don't use Pomi, try to find a brand that does not contain citric acid.
  
• 1 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1 cup of water (to add with the tomato puree)
• 1 cup of water (to add into the blender)
• 1/2 to 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• serve with basmati rice (Make 1/4 cup of dry rice per person. I usually cook 3/4 cup of dry rice for Michael, the girls, and me.)
  

Instructions:

Place a 4-quart pot over medium heat and add the oil. Finely chop the onion and add to the pan. Saute the onion, stirring occasionally, until it has softened. While the onion is sauteing, place the spinach, one package at a time, on a plate in the microwave and defrost using the defrost or low heat setting. In addition, while you are waiting mix together in a small bowl the coriander, cumin, ginger, sea salt, black pepper, cinnamon, paprika, turmeric, and cayenne pepper.

When the onion is soft, add the minced garlic and stir for a minute. Add the spices and stir for another minute. Drain and rinse the chickpeas; then add them to the pan and stir occasionally for a couple of minutes, until the chickpeas are hot and have become flavorful.

Remove the excess liquid from the defrosted spinach by pressing it in a colander or sieve, or placing it in a dish cloth and wringing the cloth to get the water out. Then add the spinach, tomato puree, 1 1/4 tsp. sea salt, and 1 cup of water to the pan. Stir to combine, bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, and let cook for five minutes.

Transfer 1 1/2 cups of the mixture and 1 more cup of water to a blender. Wearing an oven mitt, hold down the lid of the blender while you blend the mixture until it is thoroughly pureed. Pour the puree back into the pot and stir. Let the channa saag simmer on medium-low heat for at least 10 minutes. After that you can leave it, covered, on low heat for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Right before serving, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the lemon juice to taste.

To Make the Basmati Rice:

About 30 minutes before dinner will be ready, measure 1 cup of rice and place it in a bowl. Fill the bowl with tap water to cover the rice. Pour five cups of water into a pot and place over high heat. When the water starts to simmer, take the bowl of rice and swish the rice around with you hand. Pour the water out into the sink and add more water to the bowl with the rice. Swish the water around and pour it out again. Do this several times until the water stays mostly clear after swishing around the rice. Then drain the water from the rice and add the rice to the pot of boiling water. Stir the rice briefly so that it won't stick to the bottom of the pot. Let the water return to a boil, turn the heat down to medium-high, and cook for 12 minutes. Then pour off the extra water, return the rice to the pot, and cover and let sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.