Chole - Indian Chickpea Curry with Tomato & Spinach

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4.96 from 24 votes

Chole - Indian Chickpea Curry with Tomato & Spinach

This quick, easy and vegan Indian chickpea curry with tomato and spinach makes for a perfect midweek meal; a satisfying dish that can be on the table in just 25 minutes. Leftovers freeze well and are easy to reheat in a microwave for a packed lunch. Full instructions and substitution suggestions included.

Servings: people

Author: Helen Best-Shaw

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Total Time25

Ingredients

1 dsp vegetable oil
1 onion - peeled & chopped
2 cloves garlic - peeled & sliced
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp chilli powder - or chopped fresh chillies
1 tsp fresh ginger - finely grated
500 g cooked chickpeas - 2 x 400 g cans drained weight
400 g canned tomatoes or passata
2 tbs tomato puree
150 g baby leaf spinach
1 small bunch coriander - if you can't find fresh, use frozen or soak dried coriander before using

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large skillet and fry the onion and garlic with a generous pinch of salt until soft and translucent.
Add the spices and fry for a few minutes, stirring all the time,until fragrant.
Add the canned tomatoes and puree. Fill the tomato can about a third with water, give it a swirl to rinse and add to the pan.
Add the chickpeas and stir. Turn the heat down, cover and allow to gently simmer for 15 minutes stirring from time to time, until the chickpeas are tender. Add more water if needed.
Add the spinach and stir in, cover, and allow to cook for another minute.
Serve immediately garnished with fresh coriander.

Notes

You can substitute ghee for the vegetable oil.
Leftover fresh ginger can be frozen, and then grated straight from the freezer. with a fine sharp grater, such as a microplane. Simple grate from frozen the next time you use it. It's a great way of keeping the flavours fresh.
The drained liquid from the chickpeas is known as aquafaba and makes a fabulous vegan egg white substitute.
Not all brands of canned chickpeas are equal and the texture straight from the can varies wildly. I use different brands to cook and make hummus with. Experiment until you find a brand that suits your taste.
I far prefer fresh chillies to dried in this recipe - chop up leftover chillies, free freeze on a silicon mat and pack into a plastic pot once frozen.
This recipe freezes well, but it is better to add the spinach when you reheat it. Follow the instructions until step 4 and then pack into plastic boxes, allow to cool and then freeze. To eat, allow to defrost, heat the curry, and then add the spinach leaves and continue heating for a minute or two, until they're wilted. As always with frozen food make sure it's piping hot all the way through.
Add some stock to leftovers and whizz into a tasty soup.

Substitution ideas:

Use different leafy greens - add shredded kale, spring greens or chard and cook until wilted.
Cut butternut squash, pumpkin or sweet potatoes, into 1.5 cm cubes and add along with the chickpeas - cook for about 20 minutes until soft.
Cut cauliflower or broccoli into bite sized pieces and add a few minutes before the end of cooking time
Fry chopped bell peppers along with the onions and spices before adding the rest of the ingredients
Throw in a strained can of sweetcorn along with the leafy greens
Add chopped okra for the last five minutes of cooking.

Nutritional Information

This recipe is 5 Weight Watchers Smart Points per portion.

• Please note that the nutrition information provided below is approximate and meant as a guideline only.

• Unless stated otherwise cup conversions have been made with an online tool. For accuracy please check with your favoured conversion tool. We recommend buying inexpensive digital kitchen scales.