This chana makhani recipe embodies the best of three classic Indian dishes: chana masala, tofu makhani and vegan palak paneer. Try it once and, I promise, it will become your favorite way to eat greens. And chickpeas. Or greens and chickpeas. Because it’s quite simply, in a word, awesome. My Chana Makhani with Greens is a smooth, velvety curry of leafy greens with the perfect hint of spice and the luxurious creaminess of cashews. And into all this goodness I added some green chickpeas. Sprouted green chickpeas. Green chickpeas are chickpeas that are picked younger, and while you can actually buy fresh green chickpeas in India, where they are called lobhia, and even here, in the United States, the ones I used for this curry are the dry kind that I bought at the Indian grocery store. If you’re a bean enthusiast like me, and you’ve never been to an Indian grocery store, you must. It’s like wading into a legume wonderland. There are brown chickpeas and green chickpeas and the regular beige ones that you see everywhere. There are red kidney beans and dark red kidney beans, tiny red mung beans and tiny green mung beans, lentils in every shade of yellow and every shade of green. Pink lentils and white lentils and black lentils. Check to get new recipe updates by email.
Anyway, getting back to the green chickpeas, you could use regular chickpeas or brown chickpeas in this recipe, if you’d rather. In fact, the green chickpeas cook up brown too. The green and brown chickpeas have a sturdier, nuttier texture than regular chickpeas, which can be really nice if you’re craving for something with a bit of a chew. And you don’t have to sprout the chickpeas, but if you do, good for you! Your body and your tastebuds will be thanking you even more. Now enjoy the recipe.
More vegan Indian curries
Methi Chaman Vegan Dal Makhani Chickpea Curry
Recipe card
