This is a fast, honest weeknight dish. Twenty minutes from start to table and it tastes like it took longer.
You need: one onion, a tin of chickpeas drained, frozen chopped spinach, tomato coulis or a tin of chopped tomatoes, Madras curry powder, olive oil, and salt. Garlic if you like it.
Heat a good splash of olive oil in a wide pan. Fry the onion, sliced or chopped, until it softens. Add the garlic if you are using it. Add one heaped teaspoon of Madras powder and stir it through the onion for a minute so it toasts in the oil.
Add the tomatoes and the chickpeas. Let everything cook together for three minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the spinach straight from frozen. It will look like too much. It is not. Stir it through and let it cook down into the sauce. A few more minutes and it will be fully wilted and incorporated.
Taste and add salt. A squeeze of lemon juice at the end brightens it if you want.
Serve with rice.
If you have leftover braised meat, add it with the chickpeas and let everything cook together for a while longer. The sauce absorbs into the meat and the whole thing becomes something richer and more substantial.
