Chickpea Curry (Vegan & Gluten Free)

I realize that I probably gush about my favorite dinner recipes a little too often. It's no secret that I love my butter chickpea recipe, but after trying this recipe I think this curry recipe will its place! They are very similar - they are both chickpea curries, they are both vegan and gluten free & they both take about 30 minutes to make. You might want to try both and decide which you like best, but the winner in my house is this new recipe! My whole family loved the butter chickpea recipe but after taking a bite of this recipe we all proclaimed this curried chickpea our new favorite.

My cousin, Andrew sent me this recipe a couple of weeks ago and I couldn't wait to try it! He often tries recipes from my blog and I was so excited to try one from him! This recipe is from Hurry the Food Up, you can find the original HERE.

The original recipe calls for 1 can of chickpeas and says it will serve 3. It does not specify the size of the can of chickpeas but I'm assuming it would be equivalent to 1 1/2-2 cups of chickpeas. I added about 3 cups of chickpeas and was able to serve 4 people at dinner time and have enough leftover for 2 lunches the next day. In my experience this recipe can serve 4-6 people, I will detail what I did below. I opted to use more chickpeas but you can use a lesser amount to better suit the number of people you are serving. I did find that the amount of liquid in this recipe held the extra chickpeas really well.

I started by putting a pot of basmati rice. When cooking basmati, I recommend using 1 part rice and 2 parts water, so I cooked 3/4 cup of basmati rice in 1 1/2 cups water. These amounts result in the perfect amount of rice for my family of four. You might need to adjust accordingly depending on the number of people you are serving. I left the basmati rice to cook for about 20 minutes as I put the chickpea curry together.

Chop up 2 onions and add them to a large saucepan along with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Let the onions cook until they become translucent. Add 3 cloves of minced garlic to the pot and continue cooking until the garlic becomes fragrant (about another minute).

Add in 1 Tablespoon of curry paste, a pinch of salt and 1.5 cups of coconut milk. Mix well to make sure the curry paste dissolves into the milk. Once the curry paste is well mixed in taste test the curry and decide whether or not you want to add in another Tablespoon of curry paste.

**2 things to note - I used mild curry paste and used 2 Tablespoons of it. If you are using a spicy curry paste, I might recommend being a little more cautious adding in that second Tablespoon. I used coconut milk from a carton and it worked great! If you are using coconut milk from a can, 1.5 cups = 1 can of coconut milk (FYI canned coconut milk will work just as well, I just used what I had on hand).

Add in 3 cups of chickpeas (I used 3 cups but you could use as little as 1 1/2 cups or 1 can of chickpeas) and 1 Tablespoon of soy sauce (use gluten free, if necessary). Cook the curry over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, bringing it to a gentle boil.

Next, chop 2-3 medium tomatoes (or 1 cup of cherry tomatoes) and wash and cut 1 cup of fresh basil. Add the tomatoes and the basil to the curry along with the juice from half of a lime and 1 Tablespoons of maple syrup. Let the curry cook a little longer. I cooked mine just until the basil has wilted and the tomatoes softened.

Once these last few ingredients are mixed, the curry is ready to go. You could, however let it simmer for a while until you are ready to serve it. I had my curry on very low heat for about a half hour before we sat down for dinner. I recommend stirring the curry occasionally but it is totally fine to leave it over low heat for a little until you are ready to serve it.

I served this chickpea curry with basmati rice and it was perfection! This recipe was well loved in my house and I am anticipating eating it often this summer!

CHICKPEA CURRY (VEGAN & GLUTEN FREE)
serve 4-6 

ingredients
3/4 cups uncooked basmati rice
1 1/2 cups water
2 medium onions, chopped
2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of salt
1-2 Tablespoons curry paste
1 can coconut milk (=1.5 cups)
1 can of chickpeas ( ~ 1 1/2 - 2 cups. I used 3 cups)
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
2/3 medium tomatoes, chopped (or 1 cup cherry tomatoes)
1 cup basil
1/2 lime, juiced
1 Tablespoon maple syrup

directions
1. Add the basmati rice and the water to medium saucepan, bring to a oil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and let the rice cook for about 20 minutes until all of the water is absorbed and the rice is fully cooked. While the rice is cooking, you can put the chickpea curry together.
2. Add the chopped onion and the olive to a large saucepan. Cook the onion over medium heat for about five minutes - until it becomes translucent. Add in the minced garlic and cook for another minute or so until the garlic is fragrant.
3. Next, mix in the salt, the curry paste and the coconut milk. Start by adding 1 Tablespoon of the curry paste and mix well so that it combines into the milk. Taste the curry and decide whether or not you want to add another Tablespoon of curry paste.
4. Add in the chickpeas and the soy sauce. Bring the curry to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.
5. Finally, chop up the tomatoes and the basil and add them to the pot along with the lime juice and the maple syrup. Let the curry cook a little while longer, just until the basil wilts and the tomatoes soften.
6. Serve the chickpea curry with the basmati rice. Enjoy!

See you tomorrow!