Tomatillo Chickpea Curry

 

I just love it when supper is something to get excited about. This one, which I found while perusing Pinterest, was wonderful, a relatively simple, plant-based concoction with lots of flavor and a healthy nutritional profile. A bit of broiling (or grilling if they weather still allows it) gives some delicious vegetables some depth of flavor and the whole saucy combination is so satisfying.

The star of this chickpea-based curry dish is a perky and zesty green sauce made from roasted tomatillos and poblano chile. The tart and acidic tomatillos make up a thick puree that’s spiced up by the chile and enhanced by fresh cilantro and oregano. This spicy-sour sauce is a great accompaniment for starchy, creamy chickpeas, but they also get a bit of earthy curry powder and some sweet and creamy coconut milk. The whole thing goes over rice, which not only soaks up the delicious sauce, but also builds a complete protein with the chickpeas.

 The flavors of this dish are actually somewhat complex, but the process of creating them is relatively simple. The methods here can serve as an introduction to making saucy, stewy curries with deep flavors without requiring so many ingredients or complicated methods. This is still a practical dish to make for a weeknight supper. And since the leftovers are easy to pack up and reheat, lunch can be something to get excited about, too.

Tomorrow, October 1^st, is World Vegetarian Day, and this would be a great dish with which to celebrate that. You don’t have to be vegetarian (I’m not) to love these flavors or benefit from such a healthy and satisfying meal. This particular recipe is not about replacing animal products, but enjoying plant-based ones in a delicious combination. Something to get excited about indeed!

Roasted Tomatillo and Chickpea Curry

Adapted from Chef de Home

6 medium-size tomatillos

1 medium-size poblano chile

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

½ cup chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

3 cups cooked chickpeas (about 2 15-ounce cans), divided

1 tablespoon curry powder

1/3 cup coconut milk

1 cup water

1-2 limes, sliced for garnish if desired

1. Remove the husks from the tomatillos and scrub off the sticky residue. Preheat the broiler or a gas or charcoal grill. Broil or grill the tomatillos and the poblano chile until the tomatillos are charred and soft and the skin of the pepper is charred all over.

2. Remove from the oven and place the tomatillos in the bowl of a food processor. When the pepper is cool enough to handle, peel of the thin layer of charred skin. Remove the stem and seeds and chop the remaining flesh coarsely. Add to the food processor with the tomatillos.

3. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, cilantro, oregano, and 1 teaspoon salt. Process until smooth. Pour into a medium-size saucepan and place over low heat to warm through. Stir occasionally.

4. Meanwhile, add ½ cup chickpeas to the food processor (no need to clean it out first.) Pulse until well-mashed.

5. In a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the curry powder and cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add ½ cup of the warm tomatillo sauce. Cook and stir about 2 minutes.

6. Add the mashed and whole chickpeas, coconut milk, and water. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, about 10-15 minutes, or until the sauce is thick. Taste and adjust seasoning, especially salt, as desired. Serve over rice with additional tomatillo sauce and a lime wedge to squeeze over it if desired.

Makes about 6 servings.

Other recipes like this one: Chickpea and Spinach Curry, Winter Squash and Onion Curry with Yogurt Sauce, Grilled Tomatillo Salsa

One year ago: Mozzarella and Olive Baked Pasta

Split Pea and Vegetable Curry

A giant cauliflower in my refrigerator pushed me toward making this recipe. Okay, not literally, of course. But, you know, I remembered this recipe seems to need cauliflower to make it right, so I found the journal with my notes about it and prepared to try it again. When I looked at the recipe and saw that it only needed a tiny fraction of that giant vegetable, I plunged ahead anyway. It’s good food. So what if it doesn’t require lots of cauliflower.

This is a thick, stew-y curry with a base of yellow split peas, plenty of potato and a variety of vegetables. In my old notes I wrote, “I feel like the cauliflower is essential.” The underlining is in the original note, so who am I to argue with myself. That being said, other vegetables would be welcome in addition to or as replacements for the cauliflower. The same goes for the other vegetables. While I like the zucchini, the original recipe called for eggplant. Green beans are good, but I only had a few from my garden, so I added sugar snap peas to them. Both are fine.

I like the way the split peas and potatoes thicken this stew, so I probably wouldn’t replace those. I also wouldn’t do much messing around with the spices: fresh ginger, garlic, chile, and toasted cumin seeds. It’s a good, deliciously flavorful balance. I used 2 small chile peppers and quite liked the spice level. You can adjust that to your own taste, of course.

In addition to being hearty and delicious, this is also quite a healthy dish, with a high flavor to calorie ratio. It also has a high whole food quotient with all the good stuff that’s in legumes and vegetables. It’s vegan, too, but even if you eat meat regularly, you won’t miss it in this wholesome curry. I served it with flatbread (I wish I’d had time to make this naan to accompany it!), but I think you could serve it over brown rice, instead.

With cooler weather coming on us, this is a great warming stand-by. Now, about the rest of that cauliflower…

Split Pea and Vegetable Curry

Adapted from Eating Well magazine

1 cup yellow split peas

5 ¼ cups water, divided, plus more if needed

2 cups potato (peeled if desired), cut into ½ inch cubes

1 cup cauliflower, cut into 1-inch (or smaller) pieces

1 cup chopped green beans and/or sugar snap peas

1 small zucchini, chopped

1 medium carrot, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon turmeric

1 tablespoon canola oil (or other neutral oil)

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 finely chopped fresh chile peppers (or to taste)

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

juice of 1 lime

1. Place the split peas in a sieve and rinse well in cold water. Drain well.

2. Place the split peas in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the 5 cups water. Bring to a boil and skim any foam that forms on the surface. Add the potatoes. Return to a boil, reduce the heat and boil gently, uncovered for 5 minutes.

3. Stir in the cauliflower, green beans and/or snap peas, zucchini, carrot, salt and turmeric. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat and cook at a gentle boil until the vegetables are tender and the split peas are soft, but not falling apart. Stir occasionally and add more water if you think the stew is getting to thick. This should take about 20 minutes, but rely more on the state of the split peas than on the time.  

4. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat the canola oil over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and cook about 15-20 seconds, or until sizzling and fragrant. Add the garlic and chiles and cook, stirring often, until the garlic is just beginning to brown, about 30 seconds or so. Remove from the heat.

5. Stir the cumin mixture into the stew. Pour ¼ cup water into the skillet. Swirl the water around the pan and pour into the stew.

6. Stir in the cilantro and lime juice. Taste for seasoning, specifically salt and lime juice, and adjust as needed.

Makes about 6 servings.

Other recipes like this one: Winter Squash and Onion Curry with Yogurt Sauce, Chickpea and Spinach Curry

And for the rest of your cauliflower: Pasta with Cauliflower and Cashew Sauce; Roasted Cauliflower, Chickpeas and Olives

Chickpea and Spinach Curry

Thanks to a bonus box as part of our winter subscription to the CSA and the magical miracle of the early spring greenhouse, I recently had my first taste of locally-grown spinach. Since the weather had turned decidedly not green and growing, a big salad just sounded chilly. I dug through my (somewhat) organized files and pulled out a recipe for a dish I had repeatedly put aside in warmer weather: a chickpea and spinach curry with tomatoes.

This is a super-speedy week-night supper concoction that you can doctor to your taste or style. I’ve made it here as a curry, but since chickpeas, spinach and tomatoes are at home in a variety of cuisines, you could change the spices to Mediterranean herbs or Moroccan seasonings and have something new. I served it with brown basmati rice, but you could serve it as a stew with a chunk of bread (perhaps even naan if you keep it curry-style) or maybe even toss it with pasta or pour it over polenta.

While I’ve gone on record as someone who prefers to make my own spice blends, I’ve found myself with an embarrassment of store-bought curry powder in my cupboard, so I used it here. I also spiced my dish up quite a bit by including two dried red chile peppers. You could tone it down if you like, and I know there are a few of you who would like to kick it up even more. Suit yourself. This is as very versatile dish.

I’m amazed at how much flavor was packed into this simple dish: creamy chickpeas, tangy tomatoes (I happened to have fire-roasted tomatoes the day I made this) and green and earthy spinach. So, so simple. So, so delicious. This dish offers a really big bang for your buck. And since most of us have pretty busy schedules and time is really money too, Chickpea and Spinach Curry is a double bang. I’d say the average busy family cook could get this on the table without much hassle at all, say, in less than 20 minutes. In fact, if you’re serving it with rice, you’d better get the rice well on its way before you begin the curry because the rice will take significantly longer to cook.

Something so easy was a great solution to the week-night rush I found myself in. Something so quick was a great way to show off such good spinach without boiling the heck out of it. Something so warm and slightly soupy was a great comfort for those not-yet-springtime blues. Oh, and I used up some of that curry powder, too. I call that a win-win-win-win situation.

Chickpea and Spinach Curry
Adapted from Cooking Light magazine

1 tablespoon canola oil, ghee or other neutral oil
1 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium onion)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
½ teaspoon coarse salt, divided
2 dried chile peppers (or to taste)
1 (15.5 ounce) can chickpeas (about 1 ½ cups) drained and rinsed
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
1 ½ teaspoons curry powder
6 ounces fresh spinach (about 4-5 cups), well washed and chopped
½ cup water
¼ cup chopped cilantro
juice of ½ lime

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook about 3 minutes, stirring frequently. The onions should just be beginning to brown. Break the chile peppers in half and stir them in.

2. Add the chickpeas, tomatoes and curry powder. Simmer on medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add the spinach, water and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook until the spinach wilts, about 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cilantro and lime juice. Serve with rice or flatbread if desired.

Makes about 4 servings.

Other recipes like this one: Italian Chickpeas, Winter Squash and Onion Curry with Yogurt Sauce

One year ago: Sloppy Beans and Tomatoes

Two years ago: Double Banana Walnut Pancakes

Squash and Onion Curry

I’m always looking for new ways to use the abundance of winter squash we get in our CSA boxes this time of year. For many recipes, I use the different varieties of squash pretty much interchangeably. Butternut, buttercup, red kuri, kobacha, acorn, little delicata and sweet dumpling, and of course the familiar pumpkin (and there are probably others I’ve omitted.) They vary subtly in flavor and texture, but most of the time, each roasts, sautés and simmers much like the others. (Spaghetti squash is a strong exception, especially when it comes to texture.) And so I knew that I could use the small, smooth-skinned butternut squash in last week’s CSA box in the pumpkin curry recipe I’d been eyeing.



The original recipe was loaded with coconut in the form of coconut milk and coconut cream. While I had no doubt that the sweet coconut would complement the sweet squash very well, Harry won’t eat coconut unless it fits into the category of “safety coconut,” which usually includes spicy dishes with a little coconut milk. I had the feeling, however, that the coconut cream wasn’t going to make the cut.

I took the opportunity to replace all the coconut-ness with a yogurt sauce that I had worked on at least once before. In the past, I had thickened such a sauce with ground almonds, but since the original pumpkin curry recipe called for cashews, that’s the nut I ground for the sauce. I also stirred plenty of cashew pieces into the dish for a nice crunchy contrast to the creamy squash and yogurt sauce.

The spices were another important part of this dish, and I opted to make a sort of curry powder by toasting and grinding whole spices. A good commercial curry powder could be used, but I find it more economical to make a blend out of more versatile spices as needed. I know that jars of cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cardamom pods, or other spices will stay potent as long as I need them to, and I can use them individually in many applications. A ground curry powder might lose its flavor before I can make enough curries to use it all.

One of the spices I used in this dish was new to me, and that was fenugreek seed. After seeing it in plenty of Indian recipes and finding it quite inexpensively at a local store, I decided to put it in my spice blend. I have to say that its unique flavor just makes me think of Indian food, plain and simple. It seems to be the seasoning that makes curry powder taste like I’ve come to expect it to taste. If you can’t find it, however, the other spices can manage just fine without it.

The squash and onions soften and cook down into the consistency of a very thick stew. The way I made it with two dried chile peppers was very spicy, which we enjoyed. If you like things less spicy leave at least one of them out. Just don’t leave out the squash. Not only is it the star of the show (its name is the first words of the recipe title), but you have no excuses not to find some kind of winter squash to fill that starring role.

Winter Squash and Onion Curry with Yogurt Sauce
Inspired by a recipe in Bon Appetit magazine.

Two dried chile peppers makes this dish very spicy. Use just one to make it moderately spicy or omit them entirely for a mild dish.

2 (6-inch) cinnamon sticks
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
6 whole cardamom pods
1-2 dried red chile peppers, stems removed
½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 cup roasted, salted cashews (pieces or coarsely chopped), divided
½ cup plain yogurt (I used low-fat)
1 teaspoon honey
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
3 cups (about 1 pound, weighed after peeling and chopping) chopped butternut squash, about 1-inch cubes
2 small red onions, cut into thin wedges
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup water
1 tablespoon lime juice
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems

1. Place the cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cardamom pods, chile peppers, fenugreek seeds, and brown mustard seeds in a medium skillet. Heat over medium-low to medium heat for just a few minutes, until the spices are very fragrant.

2. Remove the cinnamon sticks and bay leaves and set aside. Place the remaining toasted spices in a spice grinder (or a coffee grinder that will not be used for coffee) and grind to a fine powder. Remove the ground spices to a bowl with the cinnamon sticks, bay leaf and ground turmeric. Set aside.

3. In a food processor (I used a mini-processor) process ¼ cup cashews until finely ground. Place the yogurt in a small bowl. Add the ground cashews, honey and ground cinnamon and whisk together until well-combined. Set aside.

4. Heat the canola oil in a large skillet (one that has a lid) over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook about 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add the squash, onion and salt. Cook 5 minutes, or until just beginning to brown, stirring frequently.

5. Add the set-aside spice mixture and cook, stirring frequently, 1 minute more. Stir in the water and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook 10 minutes, or until the squash and onions are tender. Lift the lid occasionally to stir.

6. Remove the lid and add the remaining ¾ cup cashews, cashew-yogurt mixture, lime juice and cilantro. Stir well and continue cooking until warmed through. Remove the cinnamon sticks and bay leaves. Remove from heat and serve with rice.

Makes about 4 servings.

Another recipe like this one: Pasta with Cauliflower and Cashew Sauce

Some other winter squash recipes: Quinoa Stuffed Squash, Roasted Winter Squash Puree, Pasta with Squash Puree and Blue Cheese Sauce, Grandmama’s Pumpkin Pie

One year ago: Tomato and Beef Stir Fry