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Three Spice Chickpeas & Kale Coconut Curry

Name: Three Spice Chickpeas & Kale Coconut Curry
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoon olive oil; 1 onion, diced; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 1 bell pepper (any color), seeded and cut into thin strips; 2 can (each 15.5 oz/440 gram ) chickpeas, drained (Note 1); 1 can (13.5 fl oz/400 ml) coconut milk; 1 can (14.5 oz/410 gram) diced tomato; 1 cup vegetable stock/water; 1 tablespoon paprika; 1 tablespoon cumin; 1 teaspoon cayenne; 1 1/2 teaspoon coconut palm sugar; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 50 gram kale, chopped; 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped; 2 tablespoon scallions, chopped

Last updated: Jun 2, 2020 — Published: Jun 2, 2020 — By: Anita — Leave a Comment

Use pantry ingredients such as canned chickpeas, coconut milk, and tomatoes into this delicious vegan-friendly and gluten-free curry with only three basic spices.

Three spice chickpeas and kale coconut curry.

How many spices do you need to prepare a decent curry? Turns out, not many. This delicious chickpeas and kale coconut curry need only three: paprika, cumin, and cayenne.

Another great thing about this curry is that though not by design, the dish is vegan-friendly unless you elect to use chicken stock instead of vegetable stock. Also, this curry is gluten-free, so you can serve this to quite a wide range of guests with dietary restrictions.

Ingredients for chickpeas and kale curry

The main ingredients of this curry are chickpeas and kale. You can use either canned chickpeas or dried chickpeas. It will take more time if you start with dried chickpeas, so please be aware that the given cooking time assumes that you start with canned chickpeas.

For aromatics, we will use onion, garlic, and bell pepper.

The main broth/sauce for the curry is made up of coconut milk, diced tomatoes, and vegetable stock. For omnivores, you can use chicken stock too.

We will need only three spices for this curry: paprika, cumin, and cayenne.

For seasonings, we will only need salt and sugar. I use coconut palm sugar, but you can simply use granulated sugar if that’s what you have.

For garnish, we will use a combination of chopped cilantro and chopped scallions. If you are not fond of cilantro, you can also use fresh parsley, or simply omit it altogether.

(1) Sauté onion and garlic. (2) Add bell pepper. (3) Add chickpeas, coconut milk, tomato, paprika, cumin, cayenne, sugar, and salt. Simmer for 15 minutes. (4) Add kale and stir until wilts.

How to prepare dried chickpeas

This recipe uses two cans of chickpeas. Since one can of chickpeas will net you around 250 grams of drained chickpeas, we will need a total of 500 grams of drained chickpeas.

If you start with dried chickpeas, you will need to use 1/2 lb (225 gram) of dried chickpeas to get about 500 grams of boiled chickpeas.

Soak dried chickpeas with plenty of cold water in a mixing bowl overnight. The next day, the chickpeas should have tripled in volume.

Drain chickpeas and place in a pot, and top with 2 inches of water. Boil over medium heat, and lower the heat to a simmer and continue cooking for 1 hour until the beans are soft and starting to split.

Drain the cooked beans and set aside. The chickpeas are now ready to use.

Garnish with cilantro and scallion, and serve the chickpeas and kale curry immediately.

How to cook the curry

Heat oil in a pot over medium-high heat and sauté onion and garlic for 1 minute.

Add bell pepper strips and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add chickpeas, coconut milk, tomato, paprika, cumin, cayenne, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and continue cooking for 15 minutes.

Add kale and stir until kale wilts.

Turn off the heat. Adjust the amount of salt and sugar if needed. Garnish with cilantro and scallions. Serve immediately with steamed rice or naan bread.