Fifteen-minute coconut chickpea and spinach curry
15 min · 15 g protein · 366 cals / serving
A creamy, gently spiced weeknight curry: chickpeas and sweet peas simmered in tomato and light coconut milk with garam masala, cumin, turmeric, garlic and ginger, then a whole bag of spinach wilted in at the end and a squeeze of lime. A cupful of the chickpeas is mashed into the sauce so it thickens in minutes. Spoon it over rice.
Ingredients
- 2 tsp canola oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 1/2 tbsp ginger, grated
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 3/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, or cayenne; leave out for a mild curry
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, with their juice
- 1 can (13.5 oz) light coconut milk, light (reduced-fat)
- 2 cans (15 oz each) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup cooked frozen green peas
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 bag (10 oz) baby spinach
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped, to serve
Steps
- Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet or wide pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion with a pinch of the salt and cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes, until softened. Grate the garlic and ginger while it cooks.
- Stir in the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds, then the garam masala, cumin, turmeric and pepper flakes for 30 seconds more, until fragrant. Add a splash of water if the spices start to catch.
- Pour in the tomatoes and coconut milk, then add the chickpeas, the peas straight from the freezer and the rest of the salt. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil, about 3 minutes, then simmer for 3 minutes, mashing about a cupful (150 g) of the chickpeas against the side of the pan with a potato masher or the back of a spoon so the sauce turns thick and creamy.
- Pile the spinach on top in two big handfuls, cover with a lid for 1 minute until it collapses, then stir it through. Take the pan off the heat and add the lime juice. Taste for salt and scatter with cilantro. Serve with rice or warm flatbread. It keeps 4 days in the fridge and freezes for 3 months.
Good to know
Can I use full-fat coconut milk?
Yes, and it is richer and silkier, at about 49 instead of 66. Use the same 400 ml can; there is no need to change anything else.
What should I serve it with?
Basmati rice is the classic: a pouch of microwave rice is ready in the time the curry simmers. Warm naan or flatbread works too, or cauliflower rice for a lighter plate. For children, leave out the pepper flakes; the curry is warm rather than hot without them.
Alternative
Per
- Calories
- 78
- Protein
- (17%)
- 3 g
- Fat
- (40%)
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- (43%)
- 9 g
- of which sugar
- 3 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sodium
- 184 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 1462 kcal goes into the pot and 1939 g of ingredients comes out as about 1880 g of food: 78 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.