Finally – a chickpea recipe worth making!!! With a simple coconut curry sauce made with astonishingly few ingredients, this Brazilian Chickpea Curry transforms lifeless cans of chickpeas into something that sounds exotic, smells enticing, and tastes so, so good….
This is a recipe we regularly make at our food bank, RecipeTin Meals, because it ticks a lot of boxes:our patrons love it, it’s easy to scale up, economical, gluten-free, freezes perfectly!
Brazilian Chickpea Curry
The sauce for this curry is swiped from Brazilian Fish Stew, a traditional Brazilian dish that’s been a reader favourite for many years now. It tastes like a coconut curry, yet it’s made with just 2 spices – paprika and cumin. Far simpler than most of the from-scratch curry pastes I’ve shared over the years!
That fish stew really is all about that sauce, so it was inevitable that I’d start playing around with other ways to use it. Chicken – done. Shrimp/prawns – a winner.
And it turns out it can also totally transform a dull looking can of chickpeas into something totally fabulous!!
What you need for Brazilian Chickpea Curry
Here’s what you need.
Just a few notes on some of the ingredients:
Chickpeas – canned for convenience, dried if you prefer (directions in notes)
Cayenne pepper is optional – it’s for a kick of spice. Because, well, you know. Curry. Spicy.
Coriander haters – sub with chives.
Baby Spinach – it’s just to cram some extra greens in. Sub with kale or anything leafy that’s wiltable.
How to make this Chickpea Curry
All in one pot – and it comes together quickly. Once you sauté the onion, garlic and capsicum, you literally just dump everything else in then leave to simmer for 10 minutes to let the sauce thicken.
That is one mighty delicious bowl for something that requires relatively little effort with a “normal” ingredients list.
It’s got a nice workflow flow to it as well. There’s no need to measure out all the spices etc before you start cooking. You pop open the cans and dump them into the pot. Then just measure the spices straight from the jar into the pot.
Oh – speaking of “pot” – I keep saying “pot” even though you see a skillet in the photos and video. The skillet I used was too small – I had to stir the sauce so carefully to avoid spillage.
Don’t make my mistake. Use a pot so you can stir enthusiastically and with abundance. – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Brazilian Coconut Chickpea Curry
Ingredients
Chickpea Curry:
- 1.5 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion , finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 red capsicum/bell peppers , cut into 3 x 0.75cm / 1.25 x 1/3″” strips
- 2 cans chickpeas , drained (Note 1)
- 400ml/14oz coconut milk , full fat for best flavour (Note 2)
- 400ml/14oz can crushed tomato
- 1 cup (250ml) chicken or vegetable stock/broth , low sodium
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1/2 – 1 tsp cayenne pepper (adjust spiciness to taste)
- 1.5 tsp sugar (any type)
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 50g / 2oz baby spinach leaves (or kale)
Finishing & Serving:
- 3 tbsp coriander/cilantro , roughly chopped, plus more for serving (Note 3)
- 1 tbsp lime juice , plus extra wedges for serving
- Yogurt (optional)
- Rice – or something to soak up the sauce (Note 4)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pot or large deep skillet over high heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for 1 minute.
- Add capsicum, cook for 2 minutes until onion is translucent and slightly golden on edges.
- Add remaining Curry ingredients except baby spinach. Stir, bring to simmer then lower to medium low so it’s simmering gently.
- Simmer 12 – 15 minutes until it changes from pale pink to an orangey red colour.
- Stir in spinach until just wilted, then stir in coriander and lime juice. Add more salt it needed.
- Serve over rice with a dollop of yogurt, extra sprinkle of coriander and squeeze of lime (don’t go overboard, I often do and it’s too sour!)
Recipe Notes:
- STOVE: soak overnight in lots of water. Pick out anything that doesn’t look like chickpeas that floats to the surface. Place in a saucepan with 3 cups of water and simmer on medium for 40 – 50 minutes (depends on chickpea size) until they are very soft. Skim off any skin that floats to the surface. Drain, proceed with recipe.
- PRESSURE COOKER: No soaking required, cover with 3 cups of water and cook 45 minutes on high.
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
You’d think I had a stash of treats in my slippers or something, the way he was snuffling around inside it! (Just to confirm, I did not)
Mariam says
Loved this! So easy to make and tasted amazing! Thanks again for another wonderful recipe Nagi 🙂
Mathew says
This was amazing! I enjoyed every single bite. Thank you.
Nagi says
You’re so welcome Mariam! N x
Teresa says
Absolutely delicious! I’ve made it twice in two weeks, we loved it so much! I used carrots instead of bell pepper and beet greens instead of spinach-fabulous! Thank you for this recipe! 😀
Laura says
This was one of the best things I’ve ever made. It was sublime! At first I thought the ingredients were weird but nah.. loved it and it looks great too!
Lauren Toth says
Delicious! I’m not a big fan of cooked spinach so I used zucchini instead. It turned out great, would definitely make this again!
Nagi says
I’m so glad you loved it Lauren!! N x
Victoria says
I made this yesterday and it’s fantastic! Such a simple recipe and very tasty – plus, easy to make (or sub) with ingredients that aren’t hard to get during lockdown here in London! I didn’t add the stock as it was saucy enough for us without. I’ve made your fish version of this before and that’s also fab – I’ll be making that as soon as I can get hold of some fish again! Thank you 🙂
Helene Tozier says
Made this curry recipe but there was no curry called for in the recipe so I added a teaspoon. I didn’t think it would really be a curry without it. So yummy 😋 will make again for sure.
Nagi says
Hi Helene, it doesn’t actually require curry powder to become a “curry” – but you could definitely add it if you like 🙂 N X
Wendy says
Made this tonight and threw In a bit of chicken that was waiting to get used up- it was so delicious!
Nikki says
Just made this for dinner but halved the recipe b/c it’s just me at home. Absolutely delicious! Just like EVERY.SINGLE.RECIPE. you post. <3
Kathleen Forster says
Loved this Nagi! Another great recipe from Recipe Tin Eats!
Nagi says
Thanks so much Kathleen! N x
Jocelyn says
This was fantastic! My husband just went vegetarian, and this really hit the spot for him. With meals like this, who needs meat?!
Of note, I used 3/4 cup chicken broth instead of 1 cup, and it was the perfect sauciness for us.
AK says
chicken broth isn’t vegetarian!
Nagi says
Hi Jocelyn, you can even switch out the chicken stock for vegetable stock for vegetarians if you prefer 🙂 N x
Annie says
Delicious! Highly recommended. It’s super easy to make, hardly any mess and very few ingredients needed. It was sensational, especially with the yogurt and lemon to serve 👌
Nagi says
Sounds like you nailed it Annie! 🙌
Naomi says
Yum! The spices and the lime just work so well together to make this so zingy and moreish!
Make sure you do the two-stage lime juice thing: the second addition at the table really lifted it to perfection!
We found there was a bit too much sauce (or maybe I just needed to ignore the carbs and use more rice!), so I’m thinking about trying a 270mL tin of coconut cream next time rather than the 400mL of coconut milk. Also might add some small pieces of broccoli to break up the chickpeas.
I used an ‘extra hot’ cayenne, and 1/8th of a teaspoon of that was enough for me. I put extra chilli flakes on the table for my fiancé to add in.
Mm mm mm! So tasty!
Nagi says
Hi Naomi, I do love things saucy but yes you can reduce the coconut milk if you prefer 🙂
Amanda says
This was fantastic! I made this with Coconut Coriander Lime rice and it was a match made in heaven. We didn’t have any yogurt so it turns out the meal was vegan but it was surprisingly filling and I didn’t even miss the meat. It’s a great meal to make in when quarantine as these ingredients are something I always have on hand and it’s cheap, healthy, filling and exciting. I have already shared this recipe with my friends and family in quarantine. Thanks Nagi 🙂
Julie McGuire says
Second time making this meal – my boyfriend LOVED it. I would say this is now one of my favourite meals to have – and the flavours in it are amazing
Nagi says
I’m so glad you love it Julie, thanks so much for letting me know! N x
Kendall Smith says
Delicious, rare for a vegetarian meal
Nagi says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Kendall! N x
Jackie says
Another winner. Delicious
Liz says
Hi Nagi, I made this last night when desperately trying to find something out of the storecupboard for my vegan daughter whilst under Covid-19 lockdown in NZ. I had to sub a couple of carrots for the pepper but I had everything else. She loved it! And I have to say when I tried the leftovers, it was awesome. Thank you 🙂
Nagi says
Wahoo!!! That’s great to hear Liz! N x
Lyndsey Woodberry says
My 12 year old made this tonight for dinner & even my meat loving partner loved it! So tasty & very cheap to make!
Thanks for another great recipe!
Staci says
Can I use coconut cream instead of milk?
Sian says
Love it – the recipe is sooo adaptable and you can put in any veggies that need to be used! I’m also a lover of one pot cooking so threw a cup of rice into the mix as well. Thanks Nagi x