Easy Chickpea Curry

This easy chickpea curry simmers canned chickpeas in a spiced tomato and coconut sauce, with a handful of spinach stirred in at the end. It’s made in one pan in about 35 minutes, serves 4, and is vegan as written. Serve it with rice or flatbread, and freeze any leftovers for another night.

• Serves: 4
• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 25 minutes
• Total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
• 1 large onion (about 150 g), finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• A thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger (about 15 g), finely grated
• 2 tablespoons mild or medium curry powder
• 1 can (400 g / 14 oz) chopped tomatoes
• 2 cans (400 g / 14 oz each) chickpeas, drained and rinsed, about 480 g drained
• 200 ml (about ¾ cup) canned coconut milk
• 100 ml (about ⅓ cup) water
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 100 g (3½ oz) baby spinach
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• To serve: fresh cilantro (coriander), chili flakes, cooked rice or flatbread

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan or saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft and lightly golden.
2. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
3. Stir in the curry powder and cook for 30 to 60 seconds. If the spices start to stick, add a splash of water.
4. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring, until the sauce thickens slightly.
5. Add the chickpeas, coconut milk, water and salt. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring now and then. Mash a few chickpeas against the side of the pan to thicken the sauce.
6. Stir in the spinach a handful at a time and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until wilted.
7. Stir in the lemon juice, taste and adjust the salt and spice. Serve with rice or flatbread, topped with cilantro and chili flakes.

Tips for the best result

• Take your time with the onion. Soft, golden onion gives the sauce body and sweetness, so don’t rush it on high heat.
• Cook the curry powder briefly in the oil before adding liquid. Toasting the spices brings out their flavor and removes any raw, dusty taste.
• Rinse the chickpeas. It removes the starchy canning liquid and some of the salt.
• Adjust the heat to suit you. Curry powders vary a lot in strength, so start with a mild one and add chili flakes at the table.
• Finish with acid. The lemon juice lifts the whole dish, so add it at the end and taste.

Swaps and variations

• Lighter version: use light coconut milk, or replace the coconut milk with extra canned tomatoes and a spoonful of plain yogurt at the end (not vegan).
• More vegetables: add diced sweet potato with the tomatoes (simmer until tender, about 15 minutes), or stir in frozen peas with the spinach.
• Other greens: kale or chard work in place of spinach. Cook them for a few minutes longer.
• With chicken: brown 400 g (14 oz) of diced chicken thigh after the onion, then continue. Chicken should reach 74°C (165°F) inside, according to the USDA’s safe temperature chart.
• Dried chickpeas: use about 200 g (1 cup) dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and cooked until tender, in place of the 2 cans.

Storage and reheating

Cool the curry and put it in the fridge within 2 hours of cooking, then eat it within 3 to 4 days, as the USDA’s leftovers guidance recommends. It often tastes even better the next day. Reheat until steaming hot all the way through, adding a splash of water if it has thickened.

The curry freezes well in portions. Thaw it overnight in the fridge before reheating. The spinach softens further after freezing, which doesn’t affect the flavor.

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

One serving is a quarter of the curry, without rice or bread. These figures are estimates calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for the ingredients above.

Chickpeas make this curry high in fiber and give it plant protein. Most of the saturated fat comes from the coconut milk, so the light coconut milk swap above makes a big difference. A 150 g (1 cup) serving of cooked white rice adds about 195 calories, based on USDA values.

The sodium comes from the canned tomatoes, the canned chickpeas and the added salt. The World Health Organization recommends adults keep sodium under 2 g a day, and choosing no-salt-added canned tomatoes and chickpeas, or leaving out the ½ teaspoon of salt, brings the figure down.

Contains: coconut. There are no other common allergens as written, but check the labels on curry powder and canned goods if you’re cooking for someone with an allergy.

What to serve with it

• Steamed basmati or brown rice.
• Warm flatbread or naan.
• A cooling side of cucumber and plain yogurt (not vegan).
• Our mango coconut chia pudding for dessert.

If you like chickpeas, our guide to whether hummus is healthy has another easy way to use them.

This article is general information, not medical advice. Nutrition figures are estimates from USDA FoodData Central and will change with the brands and amounts you use. If you follow a diet for a medical reason, check the recipe with your doctor or dietitian.