Spinach that giggles

We usually only hear about northern India, currently Kashmir, when Pakistan and India clash. The conflict has flared up repeatedly since the bloody partition of India in 1947. At that time, the Punjab region was also divided; the capital of the Pakistani part is Lahore, and a completely new provincial capital was built for the Indian part: Chandigarh. To the north, the Indian Punjab regions border Kashmir. But alongside trouble, Punjab also offers great cuisine and modern architecture. Anyone interested in architecture is probably familiar with the name Chandigarh, as the basic urban planning and central administrative buildings were designed by Le Corbusier, one of the most important architects of the last century. I first encountered these modern cathedrals of bureaucracy in Chandigarh when I was studying architecture. Their promise is an administration that enforces modern laws and rights for all citizens. Excessive bureaucracy often seems tiresome in everyday life – but reliable administration is actually a wonderful thing, the foundation for peaceful coexistence between diverse people with diverse desires.

An example of Punjabi cuisine are dishes with yogurt sauces: "kadhi." These are thickened with a little chickpea flour, which prevents the yogurt from curdling during cooking. Chickpea flour also tastes pleasant, whereas flour or starch-based sauces need to cook for a while before the raw starch flavor disappears. I find the fresh, acidic yogurt component goes very well with the spicy, hot flavors of chili, ginger, and roasted spices. Kadhi is also served with pakora, usually vegetables baked crispy in chickpea batter. I wanted to combine kadhi with spinach, which benefits from a dash of dairy to neutralize the oxalic acid from the leaves. The finished dish contains many ingredients that might also be found in a South Indian sambar —but tastes completely different.

1. Clean and wash the spinach, removing thick stems from the leaves. Drain.

2. Roast the dry spices in a hot pan until fragrant. Remove from the pan, let cool briefly, then grind in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder.

3. Peel and finely dice the garlic and onion. Quarter the chili pepper lengthwise, removing the seeds. Cut crosswise into thin strips. Peel the ginger, cut across the grain into thin slices, then chop.

4. Roast the onions in 2 tablespoons of oil until light golden. Add the spice mix, garlic, ginger, green chili, and curry leaves, continue roasting briefly, and remove from the heat. Thoroughly mix the tomatoes, yogurt, and chickpea flour, then add to the pot while stirring continuously. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add salt and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

5. Bring the chickpeas and the cooking liquid from the jar to a boil in the sauce, then simmer for a few more minutes. Heat a heavy-based pan over high heat, add 2 tablespoons of oil and the spinach, and cover. After 2 minutes, remove the lid, toss the spinach a few times, and season with salt.

6. Toss the spinach and chickpeas together. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil or ghee in a small pan with the red chilies and cumin. Once both are fragrant, stir in the chili powder. Remove from heat and immediately drizzle the chickpeas with tadka.

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