Eat Healthy and Cheap
Chana Saag
Saag just means greens, and it turns almost any bean or vegetable into a full meal. Chickpeas make it sturdy. The dried fenugreek leaf, kasoori methi, is the one ingredient worth hunting down: crushed in at the end, it gives the dish the faintly bitter, savory note that makes restaurant saag taste the way it does.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Chickpeas, cooked, or two 15 oz cans, drained
- 1 lb Spinach, chopped
- 1 Yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 Fresh tomatoes, chopped
- 1 tbsp Ginger, grated
- 4 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 Indian green chile, minced
- 1 tsp Cumin seed
- 1 tsp Coriander seed, ground
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric
- 1 tsp Garam masala
- 1 tsp Kasoori methi, crushed
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
Method
- Sweat the onion in a wide pan over medium heat with 3 tablespoons water until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes, adding more water if it sticks.
- Add the ginger, garlic, and green chile. Cook 2 minutes.
- Toast the cumin seeds in a clear spot of the pan for 30 seconds, then stir in the ground coriander and turmeric.
- Add the tomatoes and cook until they break down and thicken, about 6 minutes.
- Add the chopped spinach in handfuls, stirring each in as it wilts. Once it has all collapsed, cook 5 minutes more so the water cooks off and the greens turn silky.
- Stir in the chickpeas and a splash of water to loosen. Simmer 8 to 10 minutes, mashing a few chickpeas to thicken the base.
- Crush the kasoori methi between your palms and stir it in with the garam masala and a small pinch of salt. Finish with lemon juice and serve with brown rice or whole-grain flatbread.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 290 calories, 14 g protein, 12 g fiber. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt.
