Quick Chickpeas in Curry

September 14, 2009

The first time I had chickpeas with curry was in Vienna at the summer film festival. At this event, along with the film comes a large variety of vendors selling foods from around the world. Typically with so much available I can decide what I want pretty quickly, however, it was one of those nights when I was hungry, but nothing specific sounded good.
I finally settled on the Indian food booth. Knowing that I like chickpeas and curry and other veggies, I gave it a try. Wow, did it hit the spot – creamy, spicy, vegetarian. As Anthony Bourdain mentioned in his recent NYC episode of No Reservations, Indian cuisine is the way to go if you want to eat a vegetarian meal. You will never miss meat. There are just too many great flavors and textures going on.
It is these kinds of dishes I seem to remember when I eat alone while my husband is traveling for work.
I tend to go to one of two extremes when I’m around the apartment by myself during dinnertime. I either spend all my time in the kitchen making new things, or I simply don’t want to cook at all. Weird, I know. There really isn’t a way to predict what the upcoming attitude will be.
Recently, though, I was in a no-cook mood. I think it has to do with the packing and preparing to move. Despite not wanting to cook, well, I still really wanted to eat. So with some chickpeas in the freezer (I have to cook them from dried here) and some coconut milk left over from a previous dish, I decided on a quick curry.
Keep in mind; this is in no way authentic. It is simply my way to get the flavors I want in a quick and healthy meal. This time around I only had chickpeas and onion, but it is excellent with some cauliflower thrown in as well.
Quick Chickpeas in Curry

½ tbsp olive oil
¼ cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
2 tbsp curry powder (more or less to taste)
1 cup chicken stock
½ cup coconut milk
In a deep skillet, heat the olive oil, and then add the onion and garlic. Cook for about five minutes or until the onion is slightly tender. Add the chickpeas and then sprinkle with the curry powder, mix well and allow them to heat through.
Pour in the chicken stock. Place a lid on the skillet and cooking for about five minutes or until everything is bubbly and begins to thicken. Finally stir in the coconut milk and heat through. Serve over white or brown rice if desired.
If you happen to find yourself in Vienna during late June through late August, do pay the Music Film Festival a visit. It is an outdoor event set-up at the Rathaus. My husband and I love it. We’ve been twice and are already considering a stop there during our travels next year.
Also, if you want to know some more ways to use your chickpeas check out these recipes from Reeni at Cinnamon & Spice. If it is curry your interested in you’ll learn a lot from this post at Oyster Food and Culture.

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  • janetha September 14, 2009 at 12:28 pm

    this looks AMAZING! thanks! garbanzos are my favorite bean <3

  • Erica September 14, 2009 at 2:49 pm

    mmm this looks like an awesome quick dinner! I think I would dip crisp/thin pieces of bread in it (YUMMY!)

  • lesley living life September 14, 2009 at 5:13 pm

    Yum, that looks good! I’m a big chickpea fan, but unfortunately Erik is not.

  • 5 Star Foodie September 14, 2009 at 5:24 pm

    The chickpeas in curry sound fantastic! I love the quick & delicious preparation, definitely a must try!

  • Emily September 14, 2009 at 6:15 pm

    Yum! Those look great, thanks for the recipe! I always want curry chickpeas but never really knew what to throw together!

  • Cinnamon Girl aka Reeni♥ September 14, 2009 at 7:39 pm

    This is one way that I haven’t eaten chickpeas. Definitely on my to-do list!! Sounds real yummy!

  • kat September 15, 2009 at 5:54 am

    I’m the same way when my husband travels, its either all cooking or none.

  • Elra September 15, 2009 at 10:58 am

    What a delicious and healthy curry!
    Cheers,
    elra

  • Anna September 15, 2009 at 11:47 am

    I love vegetarian curry, and with coconut milk not only smells good but taste delicious too.

  • Karine September 15, 2009 at 4:02 pm

    Such a great way to enjoy beans! Thanks for sharing 🙂

  • Sagan September 15, 2009 at 7:14 pm

    That sounds really good!

    Do you think it would be possibly to make this with coconut water rather than coconut milk?

  • Tangled Noodle September 15, 2009 at 8:49 pm

    We love curries and this one sounds fantastic! I’d have to substitute something else for the chickpeas, unfortunately (slight allergy), but everything else are keepers. I also made a curry dish (veggies & fish) that I’ll be posting in the next couple of days – as it turns to autumn, it’s exactly the kind of meal that is really appealing!

  • Sarah @ The Foodie Diaries September 15, 2009 at 10:42 pm

    Chickpeas are my go-to, love em! This recipe sounds amazing!

    Sarah

  • sangeeta September 16, 2009 at 4:04 am

    this is yummy…Anthony Bourdain is so right…
    chick peas are so versatile and we call it chhole….i have many recipes with it in my archives…
    the black chickpeas are good too..

  • sangeeta September 16, 2009 at 4:05 am

    this is yummy…Anthony Bourdain is so right…
    chick peas are so versatile and we call it chhole….i have many recipes with it in my archives…
    the black chickpeas are good too..

  • Debinhawaii September 16, 2009 at 12:25 pm

    Three of my favorite ingredients; curry, chickpeas and coconut milk–Yum!

  • Dani Spies September 16, 2009 at 1:56 pm

    I love garbanzos and I love that this recipe looks so simple!

  • Lori September 17, 2009 at 6:39 am

    So glad you all like the recipe! It really is a quick way to get some curry in and I can’t seem to get enough of curry! 🙂

    There are a few new faces in the comments and I want to say welcome!

    Sagan – Coconut water would probably work fine. I might add a little less though. The milk really thickens the dish and too much of the water may make it runny.

    sangeeta – I’ve never seen black garbanzos, interesting.

  • Delightfully Healthy September 19, 2009 at 12:12 pm

    I tried this last night. My husband asked for seconds! It was de-li-cious! And so fast.

  • Lori September 20, 2009 at 11:00 am

    Thanks for stopping by to let me know. I’m so glad you liked it!!

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