Chana Palak (Palak Chole)

Chana Palak is a North Indian curry made with spinach (palak) and white chickpeas (chana). Also known as Palak Chole, this comforting curry is made by simmering cooked chickpeas in a spiced onion-tomato and spinach gravy. Serve it with steamed basmati rice, jeera Rice, roti, paratha or naan for a hearty meal.

About Chana Palak

This Chana Palak recipe is similar to North Indian Chole Recipe, with the addition of fresh spinach. I use chopped spinach, but if you prefer a smoother gravy, you can blanch and puree the spinach before adding it to the masala.

Palak Chole and Chana Palak are two names used for this North Indian curry made with spinach and white chickpeas. You may also come across similar recipes referred to as Chana Saag, and the names can vary across regions and households.

This recipe should not be confused with Chane Ka Saag, which is a traditional Punjabi dish made with the tender greens of the chickpea plant rather than cooked chickpeas.

Both regular spinach and baby spinach work well. You can also use canned chickpeas instead of dried chickpeas to save time.

The combination of spinach and chickpeas makes this curry hearty, wholesome and satisfying. Adjust the consistency of the gravy to suit your meal.

Keep the Chana Palak gravy slightly thin when serving with steamed basmati rice or Jeera Rice, and slightly thick when pairing it with roti, Plain Paratha, naan or tandoori roti.

If you enjoy chickpea curries, do try my recipes for Chana Masala, Methi Chole, Amritsari Chole, Aloo Chole and Paneer Chole.

You can also explore my collection of Palak Recipes for more spinach-based dishes.

How to make Palak Chole (Stepwise)

Soak & Cook Chickpeas

1. Rinse 1 cup of dried white chickpeas a couple of times in fresh water. Then soak them in enough water for 7 to 8 hours or overnight.

2. Later the next day drain all the water from the soaked chickpeas. Then rinse the chickpeas again in fresh water a few times. Drain all the water again.

3. Add chickpeas with 3 to 4 cups of water in a 3 litre stovetop pressure cooker.

You can also cook the chickpeas in a pot on the stovetop or in the Instant pot adding water as required.

4. Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon salt or as required.

5. Pressure cook the chickpeas on medium heat for 12 to 15 whistles or till they are cooked completely.

Let the pressure drop naturally in the cooker and then only open the lid. Check the chickpeas for doneness.

6. The boiled chickpeas should be soft and tender. If not then you can cook them for some more time.

7. Drain the boiled chickpeas and keep aside.

Make Masala Paste

8. Meanwhile add 1 large-sized chopped onion, 1 to 2 green chilies, 1 inch ginger and 3 to 4 garlic in a grinder or blender jar.

9. Grind or blend to a smooth paste. No need to add water while grinding or blending. Remove and keep aside.

10. In the same jar, add one large-sized chopped tomato. Grind or blend to a smooth puree. No need to add water while grinding or blending.

Prepare Spinach

11. Rinse the spinach leaves very well in water.

12. Chop the spinach leaves. Keep aside. You will need 4½ to 5 cups of chopped spinach leaves.

13. Measure and keep all the ingredients ready for the palak chole.

Make Chana Palak

14. Heat 3 to 4 tablespoons oil in a kadai. Keep the heat to medium-low.

Fry 1 inch cinnamon, 3 cloves, 2 green cardamoms, 1 black cardamom and 1 tej patta till they are fragrant.

15. Add the ground onion paste prepared in earlier steps. Be careful as the oil can splutter.

16. Saute the onion paste on low to medium-low heat and keep stirring often. Saute till the onion paste turns light brown.

17. Next add the tomato puree.

18. Stir and mix very well.

19. Add the following ground spices: 

• ½ teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• ½ teaspoon red chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• ¾ teaspoon garam masala powder

20. Stir and mix the ground spices very well.

21. Continue to saute till oil leaves the sides of the masala and the color of the masala changes. The masala will also look glossy.

22. Next add 4½ to 5 cups of chopped palak. Mix well.

23. Sprinkle salt as required.

24. Stir and saute for 4 to 5 minutes on medium-low heat.

25. Add the cooked chickpeas.

26. Stir and mix well.

27. Pour 1½ to 2 cups water or according to the consistency you prefer in the gravy.

28. Add crushed pomegranate seeds powder or dry mango powder. I used ¾ teaspoon of dry mango powder (amchur).

29. Stir and mix again.

30. Also mash a few chickpeas with the back of the spoon. This helps to thicken the gravy.

31. Simmer till the gravy thickens. Make sure that the gravy does not have a runny watery consistency.

32. Lastly add crushed 1 teaspoon of crushed kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves). If you don’t have crushed fenugreek leaves then skip adding them.

33. Simmer the gravy for 1 to 2 minutes.

34. Serve Chana Palak hot with Roti, Paratha, Poori, Naan or steamed rice or Jeera Rice or Biryani Rice or Ghee Rice and onion-lemon salad.

It can also be packed in a lunch box with roti or poori or paratha or rice.

Helpful Tips

1. Spinach: Use only the spinach leaves. If the stems are tender, you can include them as well. Rinse the spinach thoroughly in water. If you prefer a smoother gravy, blanch and puree the spinach before using it. If using frozen spinach, thaw it completely and squeeze out the excess water.
2. Chickpeas: White chickpeas work best in this Chana Palak recipe, but you can also use black or brown chickpeas. Canned chickpeas are a convenient alternative and save cooking time. Keep in mind that aged dried chickpeas take longer to cook.
3. Whole spices: Try to use all the whole spices listed in the recipe for the best flavor. If you need to skip any, I recommend omitting the black cardamom or bay leaf (tej patta).
4. Spicing: Adjust the red chili powder and green chilies to suit your taste.
5. Tanginess: For a tangy flavor, add either dried mango powder (amchur) or dried pomegranate seed powder (anardana). If you do not have either, stir in ½ to 1 teaspoon lemon juice after the Chana Palak curry is cooked.
6. Consistency: Adjust the gravy to your liking by adding less water for a thicker curry or more water for a medium consistency.

Soak & Cook Chickpeas

• Soaking: Soak the dried chickpeas overnight or for 8 to 10 hours. If you’re short on time, bring water to a boil, switch off the heat, add the rinsed chickpeas, cover and soak for 2 to 3 hours.
• Stovetop: Drain the soaked chickpeas and add them to a deep pan with salt and 3 to 4 cups water. Cover and cook on medium to medium-high heat until the chickpeas are tender. If the water starts to foam, partially cover the pan or remove the lid.
• Instant Pot: Add the soaked chickpeas, salt and 3 cups water to the Instant Pot. Pressure cook on High for 25 to 30 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally before opening the lid.

More Spinach Recipes To Try

• Aloo Palak
• Palak Paneer
• Palak Mushroom
• Dal Palak
• Palak Saag

Chana Palak recipe from the blog archives was first published on August 2013.