Deliciously Ella's chana masala recipe
Ella says: "I also add leeks and spinach, as I love getting the extra veg in and they add a great flavour, plus the green of the spinach makes the meal look beautiful, too. I love this served alongside my Aloo Gobi and Coconut Rice, with a generous dollop of coconut yogurt."
Ingredients
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 6 curry leaves, or 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 leek, finely chopped
- 0.5 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tbsp ground cumin
- 2 tbsp ground coriander
- 2 tbsp garam masala
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2.5 cm root ginger, finely grated
- 5 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 2 x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 green finger chillies, halved lengthways
- 2 x 400g cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 250 g baby leaf spinach
- 0.5 juice of lemon
- 1 handful fresh coriander leaves, to serve
Details
- Cuisine: Indian
- Recipe Type: Main
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 10 mins
- Cooking Time: 35 mins
- Serves: 6
Step-by-step
1) Heat the oil in a large saucepan and throw in the curry leaves, if using. Let them sizzle away and release their flavour for a few minutes, then drop in the leek and stir.
2) Next add the dry spices – including the curry powder if you’re not using curry leaves – and stir so that they’re mixed nicely with the leek.
3) Let this cook for a few minutes before adding the onion, ginger and garlic; at this point you can add 1–2 tablespoons of water if things are starting to stick to the pan.
4) Cook for a few minutes before adding the canned tomatoes, tomato purée, green chillies, salt and pepper. When you’ve poured in the tomatoes from their cans, swish a little water around in each to get the remaining juice, then add this to the saucepan, too.
5) Let everything bubble away for 20 minutes.
6) Add the chickpeas and cook for another 10 minutes.
7) Stir in the spinach, just until it wilts. Let cool slightly, then stir in the lemon juice and serve in shallow bowls, sprinkling coriander leaves over the curry.
Recipe taken from Deliciously Ella With Friends by Ella Mills, published by Yellow Kite © Ella Mills 2017
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