Chickpea Vegetable Curry

Everyone has their comfort food – that dish they turn to when they’re feeling especially worn down or in need of something cozy. That dish, for me, has not changed for the past 4 years; every time I’m in that mood, I always make my Chickpea Vegetable Curry.

Curry isn’t one of those dishes I have nostalgic ties to. We didn’t grow up on it as kids – it something I was even introduced to in my childhood or teens. Actually, my love for curry began on a trip about 10 years ago to Thailand. I was introduced to all different types of curry, and other ingredients I had barely known before. It sparked my tastebuds, and I haven’t looked back since!

Despite having relied on this meal heavily (and I mean HEAVILY) over the past few years, I haven’t shared it. In my mind, I guess I just thought, “no one cares about your boring EASY curry Jen!!!”. But then I realized, a quick, super yummy, warm but not too spicy, easy to throw together curry is exactly what the world needs. So here we are.

The great thing about curry is that we all have our own special ways of making it. I think I add some touches that really might charm you – and your tastebuds – so I hope you’ll try it out!

Like almost all of my recipes – this is easy. There is some prep work involved, but the rest is pretty straightforward and hands-off. It’s great to put together if you’ve had a long day, and you really just want to throw a healthy meal together that is basically just going to cook itself.

This recipe is gluten free and vegan

Ingredients

• 1 can chickpeas, soaked and drained
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 can full-fat coconut milk
• 3/4 cup carrots, diced
• 1/4 onion, diced
• 3/4 cup zucchini, diced
• 1 can water chestnuts
• 1/3 cup frozen peas
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1.5-2 TSP red curry paste, to preference
• 1 TBSP Coconut Oil
• 1 lime, quartered
• Green Onion and/or cilantro, to garnish

Directions

Start with a medium-sized pot, and set the stovetop to medium temperature. Melt the 1 TBSP coconut oil. Add in carrots and onion, and stir for about 3-4 minutes. The carrots should be starting to cook through. Add the zucchini and minced garlic and stir for 2 minutes. Lastly, add your curry paste and stir for another 2 minutes.

Then add your chickpeas, water chestnuts, coconut milk, and vegetable broth – yep, all at once. Throw ’em (not literally) all in! Turn the stovetop down to medium-low, and let simmer for 25 minutes. You know, give those flavours some time to dance together. After 25 minutes, mix in your frozen peas and turn the stove off.

Now this curry is ready to serve! But wait – this last step is so small, and so crucial. Garnish with green onion or cilantro, if you like it – but this is the crucial part: squeeze in some lime!

Trust me on this one – this step perfectly tops off all of the other flavours. You can squeeze an entire lime into the pot, but I like to take the quarter pieces and squeeze them in once the soup is in a bowl.

A little black pepper never hurt either, so don’t be afraid to crack some of that on top. Brace yourself – this is gonna be amazing!

Now as you can see, I’ve added something a little extra to my dish here and I highly recommend it as a curry side-kick: sourdough bread! Perfectly toasted, AMAZING for dipping.

One more tip: don’t be shy with that curry paste if you want to go all the way. I usually put in between 1.5-2 tsp, but you can totally add in 2-3 if that’s more your thing.

There’s nothing better than making a batch of this for dinner and enjoying leftovers for lunch! There’s something about this Chickpea Vegetable Curry that’s even better the next day.

This Chickpea Veg Curry is all about taste, but the nutritional benefits are clear too: lots of fibre, chickpeas provide essential amino acids, the garlic is antimicrobial, and the full-fat coconut milk provides a satiating mouthful of healthy fats.

This recipe is really near and dear to my heart, so if you decide to try it definitely let me know! Tag me on Instagram, or comment below and let me know what you thought.

I’m also curious to know if you ever make curry as well, or if you have a favourite kind! Feel free to share.

Enjoy this Chickpea Vegetable Curry! I know I will be!