Spiced Chickpea Curry with Coconut and Turmeric

It’s beginning to look a lot like fall! That means jeans, sweaters, comforting foods, movie nights, and cozy blankets in my house. This curry is both refreshing, from herbs, lime, and yogurt, and bright and rich, from chiles, coconut milk, and chickpeas. It’s vegan comfort food by way of India, Asia at its finest.This Spiced Chickpea Curry with Coconut and Turmeric recipe was both a phenomenon and controversy since it first came out on NY Times Cooking. This is an Alison Roman recipe (another controversial figure, though she may be redeeming herself as of late), who both refused to call this a curry (she called it a stew while it had been widely pointed out by many Indians and Asian that it is, in fact, a curry—and a common one in their cuisines) and got herself in trouble for comments about Marie Kondo and Chrissy Teigen.

The recipe went viral for both a good reason—it’s very delicious—and a bad reason—as an example of cultural appropriation. I have many thoughts that I will not share here about appropriation, and coming from the perspective of a white person, my perspective is probably unnecessary in the grand scheme of the conversation about food, recipes, and ethnicity/race. However, I think we should pay respect to as many cultures and the people from those cultures as possible by finding ways to learn and tell stories and share recipes for the foods we love (no matter our race or religion), whether it be individual’s stories or the history of recipes or ingredients and their common uses. Food is love and understanding, if you choose to open yourself up.This is a curry—with no curry powder. Curry seems to be thoroughly misunderstood. Curry is a dish of vegetables and/or meat cooked with strong, aromatic spices and herbs. It does not have to have curry powder to be a curry, and many Indian curries would not have a curry blend but a mix of spices created by the cook.

This recipe starts with aromatics sautéed in oil, then turmeric, red pepper flakes, and chickpeas added to bloom the spices and crisp the chickpeas. Some of the chickpeas are mashed to give body to the soup and make it creamier; the rest are saved to be added as a crispy topping. Stir in coconut milk and hearty greens and simmer until the flavors meld and the greens wilt. Top with whatever you like for serving—this is my favorite part. Add yogurt, chiles, chile flakes, herbs, more jalapeños, crispy chickpeas—the options, oh my! A little naan or other flatbread makes a great accompaniment to dip and scoop your curry.

This is one of those recipes that gets better as it sits, so leftovers are very welcome here.

Spiced Chickpea Curry with Coconut and Turmeric

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• Author: Amanda
• Yield: 4 to 6 servings

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Description

A refreshing yet cozy vegan curry with chickpeas, aromatics, hearty greens, and coconut milk. Ready in under an hour—and leftovers taste even better!

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Ingredients

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• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more as needed
• One 2-inch piece ginger, finely minced
• 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 jalapeño, minced (seeded if desired)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 teaspoons ground turmeric, plus more for serving, if desired
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Two 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• Two 15-ounce cans full-fat coconut milk
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 bunch Swiss chard or kale, removed from stems and roughly torn
• 1 cup fresh mint leaves, for serving
• Fresh cilantro leaves, for serving
• Plain full-fat yogurt, for serving
• Lime wedges, for serving
• Aleppo chile flakes, for sprinkling (use Kashmiri chile powder if you have it or have access to it)
• Toasted pita or other flatbread, for serving

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Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the onion and ginger with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and starting to caramelize a little, around 5 to 7 minutes.  Add the garlic and jalapeño and cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute, until fragrant.  Add the turmeric, red pepper flakes, and chickpeas and season again with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the chickpeas begin to soften and brown slightly, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove 1 cup of the chickpeas and set aside.
2. Using a potato masher or wooden spoon, mash the remaining chickpeas in the pot to release some starch, leaving some chunky. Add the coconut milk and vegetable stock and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir together and scrape up any bits on the bottom of the pot. Bring the stew to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and the flavors have melded, about 30 to 35 minutes. Add the greens and stir together; cook for 4 to 6 minutes, until the greens have begun to wilt. Taste for seasonings and adjust if necessary.
3. In the meantime, preheat a small skillet (preferably cast-iron) over medium-high heat. Add a little olive oil, and the reserved chickpeas. Cook, stirring frequently, for 7 to 10 minutes, until the chickpeas are beginning to crisp and turn golden-brown. Remove from the heat and set aside.
4. When the stew is ready to serve, ladle the stew into serving bowls and top with mint leaves, cilantro, a dollop of yogurt, lime wedges, Aleppo chile flakes, and additional turmeric, if desired. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Serve with toasted pita.

Notes

Inspiration: Spiced Chickpea Stew with Coconut and Turmeric on nytimes.com

• Category: Soups/Stews, Vegan, Vegetarian, Asian-Inspired, Indian