Chana Saag (Chickpea Spinach Curry)

This was my first time cooking with mixing so many spices and I was a bit nervous about the outcome but it was great! Next time, I'll probably add more chili powder, as there wasn't much spice, even though I added a dash of paprika. As you may have already figured out, I add paprika to everything! :D Overall, though, the result was great and something I would most likely make again.

This time, instead of quinoa, I served it with couscous, which I just picked up from the Turkish market downstairs.



Ingredients:
1lb fresh spinach
2 15oz. cans of chickpeas (next time, I think I'll use 1 1/2 cans, since the chickpeas were overwhelming)
1 inch piece of ginger, grated
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. cardamom
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 cup onions, chopped
1 can of stewed tomatoes in juice, diced
.5 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp chili powder
.5 tsp. garam masala
1 tsp. salt

Directions:
1) Rise chickpeas and roughly chop spinach (make sure to clean well)
2) Heat oil over medium heat. Add cardamom and cinnamon and let it cook a minute
3) Increase the heat to medium-high. Add garlic and cook til it starts to change color. Then add onions and sautee until golden.
4) Reduce heat to medium. Add turmeric, coriander, chili powder, garam masala and salt. Mix well, for 1 minute.
5) Add ginger. Stir, then add tomatoes and saute for 3 minutes, until well blended.
6) Add chickpeas. Stir and let cook for 4-5 minutes. Then cover and cook for another 10 minutes, until chickpeas soften.
7) Add half of the spinach, stir and put the lid on the pot for 1 minute. Remove lid and add the other half and cover for a minute.
8) remove the lid and let simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.