Saag Chana at Avatar Indian Grill in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget
Saag chana masala (spinach chickpea curry) at Avatar Indian Grill in Salinas, California is a delicious, vegetarian dish that merits a try for nutritional content, too.
Saag chana is made by caramelizing onions in ghee (clarified butter) and then adding fresh ginger and garlic according to the Ministry of Curry website I used as a reference.
After that, chopped tomato, turmeric, red chili powder, and cumin are added to the onions. You then add water for simmering before adding cooked chickpeas and spinach. To finish the dish, you add garam masala (curry powder) according to the Ministry of Curry website.
The result is delicious with white rice or naan flatbread studded with licorice-flavored anise seeds. When you add saag chana’s ingredients together, they provide a vitamin boost as well:
For 1 cup of the following ingredients, I found the following percentages of recommended daily allowances for vitamins in the main ingredients:
-spinach:
-potassium – 4%
-vitamin C – 14%
-iron – 4%
-magnesium – 6%
-vitamin A – 64%
-chickpeas (garbanzo beans):
-iron – 4%
-vitamin B6 – 5%
-magnesium - 3%
-tomatoes:
-vitamin C – 23%
-potassium – 8%
-vitamin A – 5%
(Nutrition information from medicalnewstoday.com and USDA – US Department of Agriculture websites)
Saag chana masala at Avatar Indian Grill in Salinas, California is a tasty, vegetarian meal that might appeal to spinach lovers and chickpea lovers alike.
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
