• Wash nicely spinach and fenugreek leaves(if using). In India there comes lot of dirt in the spinach bundle, so make sure to clean and wash it. Keep in colander to drain extra water.
  4-5 cups Fresh Spinach, 1 Cup Fenugreek Leaves(optional)
• Chop using knife or in food processor.
• Make paste of ginger, garlic and green chilli. Or, use 1tbsp store bought ginger garlic paste.
  4-5 Garlic Cloves, ½" Ginger piece, 1-2 Green Chillies
• Switch ON the Instant Pot and the SAUTE MODE on for 10 mins. When the display shows HOT, in the inner pot add oil, cumin seeds then add ginger garlic and green chilli paste. Sauté it for few seconds.
  2 tbsp Oil, ½ tsp Cumin seeds
• Add chopped onion and sauté till turns light pink/translucent.
  1 medium Onion
• Add chopped tomatoes and cook till slightly soft.
  2 medium Tomatoes
• Now add chopped palak and fenugreek leaves. You can roughly chop using knife or in your food processor.
• Then add about 1/2 cup water. Cancel the Sauté Mode and Pressure Cook for 2 mins.
• Release the pressure using quick QPR and then slightly cool the spinach gravy. Then blend it to fine puree using a hand blender or let it cool completely and then transfer to a jar and puree it.
• Alternatively, if you do not want to puree spinach, you can skip pureeing spinach and finely chop it and add after making onion tomato masala and then add chickpeas.
• After pureeing spinach, add chickpeas, garam masala, red chilli powder and salt. You can also add whole spices like bay leaf, cinnamon sticks, peppercorns and cloves in this step.
  1½ cups Boiled Chickpeas, 1 tsp Garam Masala, 1 tsp Chana Masala, ½-1 tsp Red Chilli Powder, 1 Bay Leaf, 1 Cinnamon Stick, 4-5 Black Peppercorns, 4-5 Cloves, 1 Black Cardamom
• Add more water if required and then again set the PRESSURE COOK Mode ON for 10 mins. and cook.
• When the timer is off, wait for 5 mins. and then do Quick Release and check the gravy. You can add a tsp of Chole Masala and then close the lid for few minutes for flavours to absorb.
• Serve hot with rice, naan or Kulcha.

Optional Tadka(Before serving)

• In tadka/small pan, heat ghee oil.
  1 tbsp Desi Ghee, ½ tsp Cumin Seeds, 1-2 Dry Whole Red Chillies, 1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
• Add cumin seeds and whole red chillies.
• When seeds crackle add red chilli powder and then add tadka to Palak Chole.

To make with Raw and pre-soaked Chickpeas

• Follow the instructions till making spianch puree, adding soaked chickpeas and whole spices.
• Set the PRESSURE COOK MODE on and the timings to 40 mins.
• Open the lid after NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE.
• Check for the doneness of chickpeas.

Making Chole Palak in Indian Pressure Cooker

• Follow the steps of making onion tomato masala adding spinach and puree it.
• Add boiled/canned chickpeas, spices and salt.
• Cook for 2-3 whistles on medium flame and then wait for the pressure release.
• Chole Palak is ready.

Making Chana Palak in Open Pan/Kadhai

• Make onion tomato masala, add spinach cook till it wilts and then puree it.
• Add boiled chickpeas, adjust water then, cover and cook for 10-15 mins. so that the masala incorporates nicely with chickpeas.

Using Canned Chickpeas

• Drain the liquid of chickpeas and rinse in water.
• Use in the recipe.