Recipe

Curried Chickpeas in Coconut Milk

Recipe Information

Total Time: 

30 minutes

Servings: 

6

This simple, fast dish is a vegetarian’s delight, silky with coconut milk and flecked with spices and fresh cilantro.

Ingredients

  • 2 15-ounce cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 inch ginger root, peeled and sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil or ghee (clarified butter, frequently used in Indian cooking)
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1 cup coconut milk (or light coconut milk)
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Preparation

Heat a large skillet over high heat. When hot, add the vegetable oil or ghee, the ginger, garlic, cumin, turmeric, coriander and cayenne and stir until the spices are fragrant. Add the coconut milk, brown sugar, tomato paste and salt, and mash and stir to incorporate the tomato into the sauce as it comes to a simmer. Add garbanzos and stir. Cook, stirring often, until thick. Sprinkle with cilantro just before serving.

Serving Suggestion

Serve with naan bread or rice.

Tips & Notes

To cook your own garbanzo beans, soak I cup dried garbanzo beans for 8 hours, or overnight. Drain the soaked beans, then put in a pot with 5 cups water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer for about an hour. When they are very tender, drain and reserve.

Nutritional Information

233 calories, 11 g. fat, 0 mg. cholesterol, 217 mg. sodium, 27 g. carbohydrate, 7 g. fiber, 8 g. protein