Curried Chickpeas
You can use other canned beans here—try lima or red kidney beans. The curry sauce can also be cooked with firm vegetables, such as potatoes, cauliflower, or broccoli—these will go into the pan first, then the ground spices along with a splash of water, and lastly, the curry sauce can be poured on top and cooked until the vegetables are tender. The blended sauce has a creamy consistency without the need to add any cream.
Ingredients
For the ginger-garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon grated or minced ginger
- 2 teaspoons grated or minced garlic
For the curried chickpeas
- 3 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
- 2 medium (about 10 oz total) onions, sliced 1/2-inch (12-mm) thick
- 1 tablespoon store-bought or homemade tomato paste
- Cold water
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon chili powder* (regular chili powder will work)
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- Pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
- One (14-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- Cooked rice
Instructions
Make the ginger-garlic paste
- In a small bowl, stir together the ginger and garlic, mashing with the back of a spoon to thoroughly combine.
☞ TESTER TIP: If you’re making a larger batch of the ginger-garlic paste to keep a stash on hand, blitz the peeled and chopped ginger and garlic in a blender along with a little cold water to turn the blades until it makes a smooth paste. Scrape it into a clean jar, add enough oil to cover the surface (any oil will do), and keep in the fridge for up to a couple weeks, topping off the oil as needed.
Make the curried chickpeas
- In a heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat, warm 1 1/2 tablespoons oil and cook the onions, stirring constantly, until they start to turn golden brown, 2 to 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until softened, 6 to 8 minutes more.
- Add the ginger-garlic paste and cook for a few seconds, then add the tomato paste and continue to cook until well blended, about 1 minute more.
- Remove from the heat, carefully move the mixture to a blender or food processor, add enough cold water to just cover the mixture (probably about 1/2 cup), and then blend until smooth.
☞ TESTER TIP: If using a blender, leave the center cap open so the steam from the mixture can release. Otherwise let the mixture cool for a few minutes prior to blending.
- In the same saucepan over high heat, warm 1 1/2 tablespoons oil and add the turmeric, chili powder, coriander, and cayenne, if using. Cook, stirring, until the spices change color, 10 to 15 seconds. Carefully add 3 to 4 tablespoons of cold water to the pan and continue to cook until the water has evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes.
☞ TESTER TIP: You can easily substitute your fave store-bought curry spice blend for the mixed ground spices.
- Add the chickpeas and mix well, then cook until the chickpeas are heated through, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Stir in the sauce from the blender and season with salt. Rinse out the blender with 2 to 3 tablespoons of cold water and add this to the pan as well. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until heated through, 5 to 6 minutes.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice.
Notes
*What's the difference between chili powder and chile powder?
If you're unsure of the difference and end up using the wrong one, you're going to be pretty surprised with the end results, spice-wise. Chile is just the pepper. Chili is the amalgamation of tomato, beans, spices, and sometimes beef that we all love. And so, chili spice is a powdered mixture of various things—chile pepper, cumin, garlic, onion, paprika, oregano. It can be quite hot but it has more ingredients than just chile peppers.Nutrition
Serving: 1portion, including rice | Calories: 579kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 639mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 6g