You guys, I am SO EXCITED to be sharing one of my favorite recipes with you today: Quick Chickpea Curry!
Who else loves a good hot lunch?
(Did anyone else read the words “hot lunch” and have a flashback to lining up in their elementary school cafeteria? You are my people.)
I’m not a fan of raw or chilly foods, so if given the choice, I prefer my lunchtime meals to be piping hot.
Now that I’m working remotely on a permanent basis – which means access to my own kitchen at lunchtime – I regularly meal prep Quick Chickpea Curry. It’s one of my go-to recipes because I can make AND eat it during my lunch hour — with time to spare for packing away leftovers for the rest of the week.
And this curry makes plenty of leftovers.
My beloved Quick Chickpea Curry struck me as the perfect book-inspired recipe for The Candid Life of Meena Dave.
Main character Meena doesn’t do much cooking, but she takes a stab at some Indian recipes as she grows closer to her Aunties and learns more about her heritage.
This curry dish would have been the perfect recipe for Meena to cut her culinary teeth on. It’s super simple, comes together in only 20 minutes, and it still packs in all the flavor of an authentic Indian curry.
Chickpeas are one of my favorite ingredients when I’m looking for a meatless meal.
They add so much texture, contain so many nutrients, and they’re pretty bland on their own — which means they’re the perfect vehicle for the rich, flavorful curry sauce poured over them.
While other quick curries I’ve seen only call for curry powder, I decided to add some garam masala and dried ginger to the mix.
It was totally the right thing to do.
Quick Chickpea Curry’s luxuriously creamy sauce (thanks, coconut milk!) packs a punch with flavor: floral notes from the cardamom, warmth from the cloves, and a pinch of heat from the dried ginger.
For those of you who don’t like things too spicy, don’t worry: this dish has just enough heat to give you a pleasant little buzz at the back of your throat without burning your tastebuds off.
And the beauty of making curry at home is that you can alter the spice level to your taste.
Do you want to set off a three-alarm fire in your mouth? Go ahead! Just increase the amount of ginger and pepper you stir into the sauce.
While I keep referring to Quick Chickpea Curry as being a great lunch option, it would also be a fantastic dinner meal. Serve it up with some cooked rice, a squeeze of lime, and some chopped fresh cilantro.
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Quick Chickpea Curry
Ingredients
- 2 cans of 14-oz chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 14-oz can coconut milk
- juice from half a lime
- chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
Instructions
PREP INSTRUCTIONS
- Drain the chickpeas and set aside.
- Chop your onion and set aside.
- Chop cilantro and set aside (optional).
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in the chopped onion, stir to coat, and let cook 5-6 minutes, until onions have slightly softened and turned golden.
- Add the curry powder, garam masala, ginger, salt, and pepper to the skillet and stir to combine. Let cook 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant.
- Stir the chickpeas into the skillet, then add the coconut milk. Stir to combine. Bring chickpea curry to a boil, then let simmer 3-5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat. Squeeze the juice of half a lime into the skillet and stir into the chickpea curry. Garnish with chopped cilantro, if desired.
- Serve chickpea curry while still hot. Best served with rice and/or naan bread.
Oh I am SO making this!! Yum 😀 Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Hurray!! I hope you love it as much as I do!