Chickpea and Spinach Naan Scoop
Chickpeas simmered in a warm curry paste tomato sauce with wilted spinach, scooped up with toasted naan. A savory, not spicy, one-pan dinner that comes together fast.
- Total
- 16 min
- Prep 5 · Cook 11
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Blooming spices · Simmering
- Savory
- Quick
- Indian
- Stovetop
- Oven
Instructions
-
Drain the chickpeas in a colander and set aside. Roughly chop the tomatoes into 2 cm pieces.
~3 min
-
Warm the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the curry paste and stir constantly for 45 seconds, until it darkens slightly and smells toasted.
~2 min
Heating curry paste in oil blooms its spices, dissolving fat-soluble flavor compounds and toasting them for deeper, warmer flavor.
Toasting the curry paste in the oil for 45 seconds before adding liquid is what builds the warm, toasty depth here; if it starts to stick, lower the heat rather than adding water early.
Blooming spices Stir spices in warm oil until fragrant and slightly darkened, about 45 seconds. Watch closely and lower heat if they stick; burnt spices turn bitter.
-
Add the chopped tomatoes and 60 ml water. Simmer for 4 minutes, pressing the tomatoes with the spoon, until they collapse into a thick sauce.
~4 min
Simmering and pressing the tomatoes breaks them down, releasing juices that reduce into a thick sauce that clings.
Simmering Keep a gentle bubble, not a rolling boil, and stir occasionally. Simmer until the sauce thickens and coats the chickpeas rather than pooling.
-
Stir in the drained chickpeas, salt and black pepper. Simmer for 3 minutes until the chickpeas are hot and coated in the sauce.
~3 min
Simmering lets the chickpeas absorb sauce flavor and heat through to the center.
Crush a few chickpeas against the pan with the back of the spoon as they simmer; the released starch thickens the sauce so it clings to the naan instead of running off.
Simmering Keep a gentle bubble, not a rolling boil, and stir occasionally. Simmer until the sauce thickens and coats the chickpeas rather than pooling.
-
Add the spinach in handfuls, stirring until each batch wilts into the sauce, about 2 minutes. Taste and adjust salt.
~2 min
Adding spinach in batches lets each handful wilt before the next, so it cooks evenly instead of steaming unevenly.
-
Warm the naan in the same pan for 30 seconds per side, until pliable and lightly toasted. Serve alongside the chickpea pan for scooping.
~1 min