Indian
Chickpea Curry
Chickpeas in a tomato and spice sauce with ginger, garlic, and a small amount of coconut milk so it stays cheap and still tastes round. Serve it with rice.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- Two cans of chickpeas are the protein.
- The spice list is short and written in teaspoons.
- A half cup of coconut milk is enough to soften the tomato without buying richness you do not need.
- It is one pot.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium. Cook the onion until soft, about 6 minutes.
- 2
Add garlic, ginger, curry powder, cumin, salt, and cayenne. Stir 45 seconds, until fragrant.
- 3
Add the tomatoes and cook 4 minutes, until they thicken a little.
- 4
Add the chickpeas, coconut milk, and water. Simmer 12 minutes.
- 5
Mash a few chickpeas to thicken the sauce. Taste for salt.
- 6
Serve over rice with cilantro.
Pro tips
- Bloom the spices in oil. If you dump them into watery tomatoes, they taste raw.
- Cayenne is optional heat. Leave it out for a mild pot.
- Rinse the chickpeas so the sauce is not cloudy and salty from the can.
Easy substitutions
- Curry powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala plus 1 teaspoon ground coriander.
- Coconut milk
- Another 1/2 cup water and 1 tablespoon butter, if you are skipping coconut.
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate up to 4 days. It thickens.
Reheating
Warm with a splash of water until hot.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 460
- Protein
- 15 g
- Carbs
- 64 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fiber
- 12 g
Budget friendly · Stovetop, One Pan
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From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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