This chickpea curry is an excellent dish to get ready ahead. Perfect whether to serve at a dinner with friends or take to the office in your lunch box. The longer it rests, the better the taste. The coconut milk will absorb and flavour from all the spices and aromas you have used.
Speaking of spices and aromas, let yourself be carried away by what you like best. Add cumin seeds, coriander, nutmeg, ginger, and chilli. Let’s not forget soy sauce and fish sauce, characteristic flavours of most curries, especially those served in Asia.
Ingredients
For 4 people, preparation time 5 minutes, cooking time 30-35 minutes:
- 2 packs of canned chickpeas (or 400g cooked chickpeas)
- 2 shallots
- 1 or 2 cloves of garlic
- Chilli pepper
- Bay leaves
- Ginger
- pepper
- 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
- Soy sauce
- Fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon of honey
- 480ml coconut milk (not drinking milk)
- Oil
- 300g jasmine or basmati rice
- 1 stick of lemongrass
Method
1 – Heat a large pan, add a drizzle of oil and the finely chopped shallot. Once the shallot has browned a little, add chilli (fresh or powdered), garlic, fresh ginger and bay leaves. Cook everything – add a little hot water if needed.
2 – Then add the cumin seeds and toast them for a few moments, then the soy and fish sauce and the honey. Toss it all, so the ingredients are well combined.
3 – Then pour in the drained chickpeas, season with pepper, soy and fish sauce, chilli, and other condiments. Add the coconut milk and let it simmer for at least 20-25 minutes.
4 – To cook the rice, place it in a large pot with the roughly chopped lemongrass. Add boiling water, at least double the volume of the rice. Cook it for the time indicated on the package – usually 15-20 minutes- then leave it for a few minutes to rest, covered. Then serve the rice with the curry, garnishing it with coriander or parsley, spring onion, chilli and a squeeze of lemon or lime.
Tips
– It should not be necessary to add salt, as both soy and fish sauces are tasty.
– Coconut milk tends to absorb and dilute flavours a lot, so be generous when adding the spices.
