Walk-Away Chickpea Tomato and Spinach Curry

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Last updated on September 26th, 2020 at 07:54 am

I love a fuss-free recipe – my 3-ingredient vegan zucchini soup is on regular rotation – and the less fuss the better. This Walk-away Chickpea Tomato and Spinach Curry is just that. Throw the ingredients in to a pot and walk away. The resulting vegan curry is full-bodied and loaded with gorgeous spiced flavours. 

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My four year-old is suffering from her first broken heart and yes, it’s all for a boy. Last night I held her little body as she shed a bucket of tears for a little man who has made her feel safe, brave and wanted in her first year of kindergarten.

This gorgeous soul let her pretend to be a kitten and hid with her under tables while she curled in to his lap. He played husband when she wanted to play house and let her operate on him whenever she fancied being a doctor. I am so happy she met such a sweet and kind spirit.

Alas, he is an older man and next year is off to primary school while our girl will do another year of pre-school. The Elf is a January baby, you see, and she is heartbroken she won’t be going through with him and her other friends.

We could send her through. My heart wants to send her through. My head, however, is trying to hold tight to all the research and advice from her teachers that an extra year will help her not only survive her school years but thrive. Oh, but the tears! They are so pitiful and I want to make everything better. This parenting thing blows sometimes.

What does this have to do with chickpea tomato and spinach curry?

Not a thing but it is where my head and heart are at and all I want is for everyone to tell me that we are making the right choice for our child. She will miss all her friends when they move on to school but the bigger picture is that another year will serve her better in the long run. That’s the theory anyway. And so, as we get closer to the end of the year the tears flow.

Arghhhh…enough. Let’s talk about this curry before I tear up too.

I adore this chickpea tomato and spinach curry.

• it’s healthful
• it’s simple
• you don’t need any cooking skills to speak of
• it’s full-bodied and delicious and
• it freezes well.

Did I mention the walking away part? Perfect for busy weeknight dinners or those nights when you’re all turned around thinking how you broke your kid’s heart, this curry takes a few quick stirs and you’re off. Off to read a magazine. Off for a quick cup of tea. Off to wallow.

I’m joking. Sort of. The point is, you’ll have the time. Once the juicy cherry tomatoes are bathed in Indian spices and begin to blister and the chickpeas are added with coconut milk and stock, you can reduce the heat and walk away. Come back 40-minutes later to add some fresh baby spinach and dinner is served.

Canned or Dried Chickpeas?

I most often use canned organic chickpeas but if you prefer you can use dry chickpeas you’ve cooked from scratch. 

How to Cook Dried Chickpeas from Scratch

1. Wash 2 cups of dried chickpeas and pick out the gnarly brown ones.
2. Place the chickpeas in a large bowl and cover them with cold water making sure you cover them by several inches of water to allow for expansion. Add 2 teaspoons of baking soda. Cover the bowl with a clean cloth to soak overnight and expand.
3. The next day drain and rinse the chickpeas in cold water.
4. To cook your soaked beans, place them in a large pot and cover with several inches of water – about 1 litre (approx 1 quart) of water per cup of soaked beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. 
5. Add salt if you like – a good amount is around 1/8 of a teaspoon for each cup of chickpeas.
6.   Cook at a simmer for 60-90 minutes until desired tenderness.
7. If you don’t have time to soak your chickpeas overnight you can quick soak them. Cover the dried beans with cold water by several inches in a large pot. Place the pot over medium to high heat on the stove and bring it up to a boil for 5 minutes.
8. Remove the pot from the heat and allow the chickpeas to sit in the hot water for 1 hour. 
9. Drain the beans before cooking. 

Once the beans are cooked you can move on to the recipe below 🙂

If you love a good curry give my mushroom and chickpea tikka masala a try and serve it with homemade vegan naan. Until then, this fuss-free and delicious chickpea tomato and spinach curry is the perfect fuss-free meal. For the nights you need to walk away.

Faqs

Can I use canned tomatoes instead of fresh? 

Totally. I’ve used a 400 gram (14 oz)  tin of chopped tomatoes in this recipe and it turned out great. The flavour is slightly more acidic but it’s hardly noticeable. 

Does this curry freeze well?

Yes. After cooking the curry allow it to cool completely before transferring it to a freezer-proof container. Label the container with the name of the curry and the date you made it and store in the freezer safely for up to 3 months. 

Enjoy x.

If you like this, you might like to check out these:

• Spicy Chickpea Vegan Couscous Bowl
• Japanese Tofu Curry
• Vegan Shawarma with Roasted Jackfruit

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