Vegan Indian Chickpea Curry in Fragrant Tomato Sauce
shared by המטבח של Nibblore
This warming, satisfying curry combines tender chickpeas with tomatoes and toasted spices. Mashing some of the chickpeas gives the sauce a rich body without cream or coconut milk, while garam masala and lemon added at the end keep the flavors bright and aromatic. It is ideal for an easy dinner and tastes even better after a night in the fridge. • Use a relatively fresh jar of garam masala; an old spice blend will taste dull rather than floral and aromatic. • Do not skip cooking the tomato paste, as this reduces its acidity and deepens the sauce's flavor. • For an especially thick texture, mash more chickpeas rather than cooking the curry longer and drying out the sauce. • Replace the cooked chickpeas with two 400 g cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed. • Instead of cayenne pepper, use half a chopped green chili and add it with the garlic and ginger. • Replace the fresh cilantro with parsley if preferred, though the flavor will be less traditionally Indian. Let the curry cool, then transfer it to an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and reheat in a pot over medium-low heat for 6–8 minutes, adding a little water as needed, until bubbling and piping hot.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Beginner-friendly
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Save to my cookbook — freeIngredients
- 2 tbspcanola oil
- 1 tspcumin seeds
- 1yellow onion, finely chopped
- 4 clovegarlic, crushed
- 15 gfresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 tspground coriander
- 1 tspground cumin
- ½ tspground turmeric
- ¼ tspcayenne pepper
- 2 tbsptomato paste
- 400 gcanned crushed tomatoes
- 500 gcooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 250 mlwater
- 1 tspfine salt
- 1 tspgaram masala
- 1 tbspfresh lemon juice
- 15 gcilantro leaves, roughly chopped
Instructions
- 1Heat the oil in a wide 3-liter pot over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and fry for 30–45 seconds, until sizzling and fragrant but not darkened.
- 2Add the onion and a small pinch of the salt. Cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden around the edges. Add the garlic and ginger, then cook for 1 minute more.
- 3Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the ground coriander, ground cumin, turmeric, and cayenne; stir for 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, until slightly darkened and beginning to stick to the bottom.
- 4Pour in the crushed tomatoes and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly and the oil begins to glisten around the edges.
- 5Add the chickpeas, water, and remaining salt. Bring to a gentle simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook uncovered for 12–15 minutes, stirring twice, until the sauce coats the chickpeas but remains pourable.
- 6Using a spoon or potato masher, mash about one-third of the chickpeas directly in the pot. Cook for another 3 minutes; if the curry is too thick, add 1–2 tablespoons of water.
- 7Turn off the heat and stir in the garam masala and lemon juice. Taste and adjust the salt or heat, scatter over the cilantro, and serve hot.