Chickpeas, spinach, and canned tomatoes are gently stewed with onions, ginger, garlic, and spices to make a quick, nutritious one-dish dinner that is topped off with a fresh relish of onions and chiles. Serve over rice or with flatbreads.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 onions
- 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 piece ginger (3 inches)
- 8 cloves garlic
- About 2 lbs. spinach
- 2 tsp. tumeric
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cayenne (optional)
- 1 can tomatoes (28 oz.)
- 1 or 2 cans chickpeas (14.5 oz. each)
- 1 or 2 small green chiles (serranos or jalapenos)
- 2 to 3 Tbsp. lemon juice
- Salt
Preparation:
- Finely chop onions, set about 1/3 cup aside.
- Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large pot, add onions and about 1/2 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are very soft and started to caramelize, reducing heat as necessary to keep onions from browning, about 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, grate ginger and set aside. Minced garlic and set aside. Trim tough stems from spinach and set aside.
- When onions are caramelized, add ginger and garlic. Stir and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tumeric, cumin, coriander, and cayenne, if using. Stir to combine and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add tomatoes and chickpeas. Use a spoon to smash and break up the tomatoes into smaller pieces. Add about 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Add spinach and stir to combine (it will wilt as you do this). Reduce heat to maintain a steady simmer and cook until vegetables are tender and flavors are blended, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mince green chiles and combine with reserved onions and lemon juice in a small bowl. Add salt to taste.
- Serve stew on its own, over rice or with flatbread and top with the onion-chile relish.
Makes 6 to 8 servings Chickpea & Spinach Curry.
