Over the past 11 years that I’ve been eating plant-based, I’ve learned a lot about cooking vegetables with a variety of herbs and spices. I remember my younger self attempting a vegetable curry by adding yellow curry powder and coconut milk to cooked veggies and wondering why it didn’t taste good. I’ve since discovered that the key to a good curry is adding a blend of spices, allowing them to cook a bit before stirring in the majority of the wet ingredients, and layering multiple flavors. Cook this Chickpea and Potato Curry to practice making a comforting and delicious vegetable curry!
You may look at the ingredient list and be intimidated by the number of spices, but trust me on this one — the more spices, the better! Not only do they add more flavor complexity, but spices also contain beneficial antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. So update your spice collection for the sake of your health!
To keep from burning some of the spices while cooking, I like to measure them all out into a pinch bowl while the garlic, onions, and red pepper are sautéing. This allows me to add all of the spices at once and save time by multitasking during the cooking process.
This chickpea and potato curry is satisfying because it contains all four elements of good cooking, according to Chef Samin Nosrat:
Salt – Use as little as you like, but curry dishes do need some salt.
Fat – No, not oil or ghee! The fat in this curry dish comes from coconut milk and is necessary for smoothing out the flavors as well as helping your body absorb vitamins A, E, and K.
Acid – The acid in this dish comes from the diced tomatoes and lemon juice, giving the sauce a little tang.
Heat – Feel free to add more curry powder if you prefer a hotter dish, but I’m happy with the amount of heat from one teaspoon of medium curry powder.
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- ½ red bell pepper, diced
- Spice Mix:
- - 1 Tbs. ground coriander
- - 1 Tbs. ground cumin
- - ¼ tsp. black pepper
- - 1 tsp. ground turmeric
- - 1 tsp. ground ginger
- - ½ tsp. cinnamon
- - 1 tsp. medium curry powder
- - ½ tsp. paprika
- 2 medium Yukon gold or red/new potatoes, cubed (~2 cups)
- 1 13.5 oz. can coconut milk
- 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
- ½ tsp. salt, plus more to taste
- 3 Tbs. reduced sodium tamari or Bragg's liquid aminos
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 1 14.5 oz. can chickpeas, drained
- 4 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
- Optional garnishes: fresh cilantro, sliced or cubed avocado
- In a large pot over medium heat, sauté the garlic, onion, and bell pepper in ¼ inch of water until soft, 5-10 mins.
- While the garlic, onion, and pepper are cooking, measure all of your spices into a single pinch bowl.
- When the vegetables are soft and there is still a splash of water left in the pot, empty your spice mix into the pot and stir to create a paste, cooking the spices 2-3 mins. If they begin to get too dry, add another 2-3 Tbs. of water.
- Stir in the potatoes, coconut milk, diced tomatoes, salt, tamari, and lemon juice. Fill the diced tomato can with water and add to the pot (this allows you to get that last bit of tomato goodness that's still in the can). Turn up the heat until boiling, then reduce heat to low and simmer about 15 mins, until potatoes are tender.
- Add chickpeas and spinach, and stir to wilt. Simmer 5-10 mins longer, then use a potato masher to mash mixture roughly 20 times to break down some of the starches and thicken the mixture. Taste and add more salt or lemon juice as needed.
- Serve over your favorite grain and garnish with fresh cilantro and avocado, if desired.
Make this flavorful chickpea and potato curry, and you’ll realize that curry dishes really aren’t that difficult after all!
I find myself craving comforting vegetable curries, and this one really hits the spot! It’s the perfect one-dish meal because it contains a variety of vegetables, grains, greens (spinach), protein (chickpeas), healthful fat (coconut milk and avocado, if added), and anti-inflammatory spices. My family loved it!
Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think!
♥ ♥ ♥
And now for your daily dose of cuteness . . .
Luke, 6 months old
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