This coconut chickpea curry is packed with an insane amount of flavor and is ready to serve in about 20 minutes. All you need is a handful of simple ingredients and a bit of basic culinary know-how, and you'll be devouring the stew before it hits the dinner table.
There's nothing better than feeding your family a healthy meal, except for maybe putting it on the table in about 20 minutes. Not only is this dinner a one-pan meal, it's also vegetarian (and vegan!), packed with protein, and best of all, it's delicious. Keep reading to learn how to make this delectable stew.
Ingredients That Matter
This recipe is mostly pantry staples, with a few extra ingredients you may have to grab from the grocery store.
- Chickpeas. This recipe calls for 2 (14.5-oz.) cans of chickpeas, which is the ideal amount to serve 4. Chickpeas are "pulses," a family that includes lentils, peas, beans and chickpeas. Not only are they packed with protein, but also beneficial to soil. To learn more about pulses, check out pulses.org.
- Coconut Milk. Reach for unsweetened full-fat coconut milk, the kind from a can, not the refrigerated drink. You can certainly use a lite/reduced fat coconut milk, but the sauce won't be quite as rich and velvety.
- Garam Masala. This spice blend is warm and complex. It originated in India and typically contains fennel, clove, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and more. A little goes a long way, so taste it first if you've never tried it. How do you taste spices? Don't just taste a pinch, instead mix a bit into oil then taste. Since these spices are mostly soluble in oil, mixing a bit in oil will make it easier to taste the unique flavors.
- Turmeric. There's a lot of information on the web about the health benefits of turmeric, and we encourage you to see what this spice is all about. But we want to pass on this little tidbit: it stains! That wooden spoon you used to stir a turmeric-heavy sauce may stain your nice white countertops. Or it could stain white napkins, clothing and even your hands. Clean it quickly with soapy water and you should be fine.
- Diced Tomatoes. To save time, this recipe calls for 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes. If you have fresh tomatoes, certainly use them instead. Aim for about 1 ½ cups chopped fresh tomatoes, or about 1 large.
- Aromatics. The backbone of this recipe's flavor profile comes from onions cooked to a golden brown along with fresh ginger and garlic.
- Oil or Coconut Oil. A couple of tablespoons of oil is all you need in this recipe. Use any light oil, such as canola or peanut. Or, better yet, use coconut oil, which will give even more coconut flavor to the final dish.
About the Technique
This recipe is mostly a 'dump everything into a pan and let it simmer' kind of meal, but there are a couple important techniques to consider.
- Brown the Onions. The longer onions cook, the sweeter they become (as more water is released in the cooking process, the flavor also concentrates). It'll only take about 5 minutes to achieve the golden brown doneness. And be sure to stir occasionally (meaning about every 30 seconds, or so), to reduce the chance of burning the onions.
- Cook Tomatoes to a Jam Consistency. Similar to browning the onions, cooking the tomatoes down concentrates flavor and makes them slightly sweeter (this is especially important when using canned tomatoes as they can be a bit metallic tasting). Cook and stir to avoid burning, until the mixture is thickened and most of the liquid has evaporated.
How to Make Coconut Chickpea Curry
- Step 1. Cook chopped onions in a large pot or braiser pan until golden brown.
- Step 2. Add the spices and cook until bloomed and fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir frequently to avoid burning.
- Step 3. Add tomatoes and cook until mostly reduced and the consistency of jam. Stir frequently to avoid burning.
- Step 4. Add coconut milk and chickpeas and stir, scrapping up any fond (the little caramelized crust that forms on the bottom of the pan).
- Step 5. Cook mixture, covered, until slightly reduced and velvety, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to avoid burning.
- Step 6. Enjoy this stew hot with your favorite toppings!
What to Serve with the Curry
Serve this coconut chickpea curry with naan, rice, potatoes or crusty bread. A drizzle of yogurt, a squeeze of lime and a handful of cilantro are excellent toppers (omit the yogurt if making this vegan).
- To reheat, add water or vegetable broth and simmer until hot. The chickpeas will soak up much of the liquid from the sauce, so you'll need this additional liquid.
Watch how it all comes together
Recipe
Coconut Chickpea Curry
- Total Time: 25 min.
- Yield: 5 cups 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This healthy and delicious coconut chickpea curry comes together in just about 20 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 Tbsp. coconut oil or vegetable oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- ¾ tsp. table salt, divided
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tbsp. minced ginger (from 1 (1-inch) piece of ginger)
- 1 ½ tsp. garam masala
- 1 tsp. ground turmeric
- ½ tsp. ground cumin
- ½ tsp. ground coriander
- 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (13.5 oz.) can unsweetened coconut milk, preferably full fat
- 2 (15 oz.) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- lime wedges, cilantro and naan, for serving
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot of braiser pan over medium-high. Add onions and ¼ teaspoon of the salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, ginger, garam masala, turmeric, cumin and coriander and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add tomatoes and cook, stirring frequently, until mostly reduced and jam consistency, about 5 minutes. Stir in coconut milk and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add chickpeas and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Cook, covered, until thickened and the chickpeas are tender, 8-10 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Serve with lime wedges, cilantro and naan.
Notes
- Adjust consistency of sauce with water or vegetable broth.
- Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, add a bit of water or vegetable broth as the chickpeas will soak up much liquid while stored.
- Sub 1 ½ cups fresh chopped tomato (about 1 large) for the canned tomatoes, if preferred.
- Serve with rice, potatoes, yogurt or fresh bread.
- Prep Time: 5 min.
- Cook Time: 20 min.
- Category: Main
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: Vegetarian
Looking for more vegetarian recipes?
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Justina and John says
Made the recipe with vegetable broth and a little low fat milk as a substitute for coconut milk to reduce the saturated fat. It was very easy to make and tasted great!
Adam @ The Real Recipes says
Wonderful! I'm glad it worked out. And great idea to swap out the coconut milk for vegetable broth and low fat milk to lower the sat fat. Thanks for sharing!