Healthy Chana Masala Recipe Without Coconut Milk

I absolutely love Indian food and specially curries. There are usually quite nutritious, loaded with chickpeas or lentils and greens. Also filling and comforting during the colder months. Many of them easy to make and using only one pot.

But – they tend to be made with coconut milk, which provides the creaminess and… lots of saturated fat. Saturated fat is not good for cardiovascular health, and some people with an altered lipid metabolism might need to limit it. I personally try to stay within 16-25g per day.

Even using low fat coconut milk, the saturated fat content is still high (6g per 1/4 cup), and creaminess lower, so I’m not sure if the swap is worth it.

Thus I’m in a quest to find comforting Indian dishes that don’t use coconut milk – like this one!

Chana masala is classic Indian dish made with chickpeas, tomatoes and spices. I tweaked the original recipe by adding dark leafy greens, bok choy in this particular one because that’s what I had in my fridge, but any other like spinach or kale will work too. This elevates the nutritional density of the dish.

Here is how to make it. Only one pot required.

Ingredients

Makes 4-6 servings

Prep time: 15 minutes. Cooking time: 25 minutes.

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, diced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, diced or grated
• 1.5 tbsp garam masala
• 1.5 tbsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes, with their juices
• 3 cups of cooked chickpeas or 2 (14oz) cans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tsp coconut sugar
• 4 cups of dark leafy greens (like spinach, kale or bok choy)
• Salt, pepper
• Juice of 1 lime

Instructions

• In a large pot, sauté the onion, garlic and ginger on medium heat until lightly softened (about 5 minutes).
• Add the garam masala, coriander, turmeric, cayenne pepper, cumin and cook for about 2 minutes until fragrant.
• Add the tomatoes with their juices, salt, pepper and coconut sugar.
• Add the chickpeas and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add a little bit of water if needed. Chickpeas should be covered in liquid.
• Add the leafy greens and simmer for additional 5 minutes, or until wilted.
• Remove from the heat and add the lime juice.
• Taste and adjust seasonings. You may want to adjust sugar too if it’s too acidic, this will depend on the tomato brand and type.
• Serve with a grain like rice or buckwheat, or a bread like Naan or pita for a complete meal.