I adore making curry because it’s such a versatile dish. You can experiment with so many different flavors, and there’s no rules about what you can or can’t use to create a truly amazing recipe. This Chickpea Coconut Curry is one of my current faves, because it’s just so damn flavorful, but also because the textures in this dish are nothing short of incredible. You’ve got your crispy roasted chickpeas, your tender sweet potatoes, your soft onions, your crisp peppers, the juicy burst tomatoes…when you serve it over a bed of pillowy rice with some bright, fresh herbs on top, it really is kinda like a party for your palette. Plus, this version can easily be made vegan by using veggie stock instead of chicken stock, and I love the option to go meatless every now and again.
Even if you’re a curry-making rookie, this recipe is sure to produce a delicious bowl of comforting food that will definitely have you dreaming about the next version you can try. Here’s how to make it happen:
Chickpea Coconut Curry
Ingredients
- 1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 sweet potato peeled and chopped
- 1 yellow/brown onion chopped
- 2 cups sliced white mushrooms
- 2 bell peppers chopped (I use yellow and orange)
- 3 large garlic cloves chopped
- 1 chili of your choice I prefer scotch bonnet
- 2 tsp yellow curry powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 can regular coconut milk
- 1 lemon
- 1 lime
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 pint tomatoes
- basil or cilantro for garnish
- olive oil, salt and pepper, cumin seeds, butter
Instructions
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Preheat an oven to 180FAN (that's about 385 Fahrenheit).
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Add the chickpeas to one baking sheet and add the sweet potato to another baking sheet. Dress each tray in olive oil and a generous pinch of salt, pepper and cumin seeds. Bake for 20 minutes. While the chickpeas and potato cook, begin making the sauce.
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Prepare the tomatoes by cutting them in half, through the stem, and tossing them in a pan with olive oil, salt and pepper. While you prepare the sauce, heat the tomatoes in a medium-size pan over medium heat, until they burst. You can simply turn the heat off when they're done cooking and set them aside until it's time to add them to the sauce.
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To make the sauce, heat a large pan over medium high heat and add a few glugs of olive oil.
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When the oil is hot, add the onion and saute for about 5 minutes, until slightly softened and blonder in color.
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Add the mushrooms and the bell peppers to the onions and stir. If your pan is very dry, add a bit more olive oil. Season with a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper and let this mixture saute for 5-7 minutes, until the mushrooms and peppers have softened.
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Add the garlic and stir. Saute for 2-3 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant.
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Add the chili and stir. Saute for about a minute.
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Add the curry powder, paprika, garam masala and turmeric and stir to coat the veggies in the spice mixture.
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Add 1/2 can of coconut milk and 1/2 cup hot chicken stock and stir to incorporate the liquid and the spices together (you may add more liquid later depending on how thick you want the sauce)
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Add the cooked chickpeas and sweet potato to the curry and stir to combine. At this point, I usually add an additional 1/4 cup coconut milk and 1/3 cup chicken stock. This produces a nice, thick sauce. If you prefer a saucier sauce, add more liquid. it's completely up to you!
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Add the juice of 1 lemon and 1 lime.
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Add the burst cherry tomatoes.
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Add 1 handful fresh chopped basil or cilantro. Personally, I use basil in this recipe, but cilantro would be great, too! Serve hot over rice or noodles.