Here’s a really great authentic Chickpea Curry that’s made from scratch but is extremely easy! Say goodbye to boring chickpea recipes – this one packs serious flavours but you won’t need to hunt down any unusual spices. You may even have them all!
This vegetarian curry is one of those foods where carnivores truly don’t miss the meat. (I am, of course, referring to myself 🙂 ) And it’s super healthy – 280 calories per serve!
Chickpea Curry
This curry tastes just like Indian curry you get from restaurants. I really mean that.
It has great layers of flavour. Real punchy flavours. And it’s made from scratch – no curry pastes here!
The roots of this particular curry is Trinidad in the Caribbean. But it really tastes just like Indian curries (the tomato based ones, not the creamy ones).
I don’t know if you’ve ever made Indian curries at home before, but I have. And with a few exceptions – like Butter Chicken, Tikka Masala and Biryani– the list of spices almost always includes spices that I need to hunt down at speciality spice stores or Indian grocery stores.
And therein lies the reason why I am obsessed with this. It’s made with spices you can get from your local supermarket. And just as much flavour.
Big flavours. BIG. HUGE!
This Chickpea curry is slightly adapted from a recipe by Imma from Immaculate Bites, an African-Caribbean food blog. Until I came across Imma’s site, I actually didn’t know that much about Caribbean cuisine. Did you know that Caribbean food is a fusion of many different cuisines, including African, American Indian, European, Indian, Arabic and Chinese? Traditions brought to the region by the population.
And this Chana Aloo Curry (Chana = chickpeas, Aloo = potatoes), is one such example. A Caribbean recipe that tastes very Indian!
Ingredients in Chickpea Potato Curry
A great tasting curry from scratch will always call for a fair few spices. However, the really nice thing about this curry recipe is that all the spices are ones you can find at everyday supermarkets.
For me, these are standard pantry spices – and I’m betting I am not the only one! (Bonus: If you’re missing one or two – other than curry powder – it’s not the end of the world.)
The Curry Powder
The main spice used is curry powder. These are the curry powders I typically use – but any brand should be fine, I’ve used plenty over the years.
Other recipes that use curry powder
Don’t feel restricted to just use curry powder in Indian-style curries. It’s used in all sorts of recipes, such as:
Making the Chickpea Potato Curry
Measuring out those spices is definitely the step that takes the most time in this recipe!! So once that’s done, it’s a pretty effortless recipe:
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Sauté garlic and onion
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Sauté spices (brings out the flavour)
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Coat potato in the spices
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Add everything else (chickpeas, tomato, broth/stock)
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Simmer to reduce and thicken, then stir in green onion and parsley at the end
Want to make a lower carb version?
Try this Vegetable Curry! Same sauce, but made with vegetables instead of chickpeas and potato.
What to serve with Chickpea Curry
Rice is essential to soak up all that sauce – preferably basmati rice. If you want to go all out, serve it with Coconut Rice. The combination of the subtle, sweet coconut flavour with the big spicy flavours in this curry is SO GOOD!
If you want to cut back on the carbs, try cauliflower rice (please, someone remind me to share this recipe, I mention it so often!).
Also, a dollop of yogurt goes nicely – the fresh cool tang tempers the spiciness and adds a touch of creaminess.
You get bonus points if you go to the effort of serving these authentic Naan, the perfect vehicle to scoop up that wickedly delicious curry sauce!!! Otherwise, these yeast-free Easy Soft Flatbreads are simpler and taste just like naan.
– Nagi x
Chickpea Potato Curry (Chana Aloo Curry)
Watch how to make it
Fresh salad on the side
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Cabbage, Carrot, Mint Salad – great refreshing salad, ideal to pair with curries
And – more great curries of the world!
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Biryani (it’s amazing!)
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Dal (Indian lentil curry)
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Browse the Curry Collection
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Easy Chickpea Curry with Potato (Chana Aloo Curry)
Ingredients
Spices (Note 2):
- 2 tbsp curry powder (Note 3)
- 1 tsp All Spice powder
- 1 tsp nutmeg powder (or 1/2 tsp freshly grated)
- 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (or normal or sweet)
- 2 tsp dried thyme leaves (or 3 tsp fresh)
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp white pepper (or 1/2 tsp black pepper)
Curry
- 3 tbsp (65ml) cooking oil (I used vegetable)
- 2 large garlic cloves , minced
- 1 large onion , diced (brown, white, yellow)
- 1 1/2 cups (225g) potatoes , cut into 1.2cm / 1/2" cubes
- 28 oz / 800g canned chickpeas (2 x 14oz/400g cans) , drained (Note 3)
- 14 oz / 400g canned crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups (500ml) vegetable or chicken broth/stock
- 2 scallion/shallot stems , sliced (green & white part)
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley , finely chopped (or coriander/cilantro)
- Salt to taste
Serving - choose
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot or very deep skillet over medium high heat.
- Add onion and garlic, cook for 3 minutes until onion is translucent.
- Add Curry Spices and stir for 1 minute.
- Add the potatoes and stir to coat in the Spices. If the spices start to stick to the bottom of the pot, add a tiny splash of water.
- Add the chickpeas, tomatoes and vegetable or chicken broth. Bring to simmer then turn down the heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked and the sauce has thickened.
- Adjust salt to taste, stir through scallions/shallots and parsley.
- Serve with rice - basmati would be ideal, or Coconut Rice if you're wanting to impress. To go all out, add some Easy Soft Flatbreads!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published January 2016. Updated with new photos, new video and entirely rewritten post in February 2019. No change to recipe.
Life of Dozer
No curry for you, too spicy! What will you give me for this drumstick…???
Lori says
This was delicious!. I’ve made it twice now. Once like the recipe shows, and again with just veggies…carrots, onions, celery, potatoes. It is so good poured over a slice of my home made bread, toasted and topped with a poached egg!.
Nagi says
Virtual high five! YESSS!! So glad you enjoyed it Lori, thank you so much for coming back to let me know! N x
Erika says
I do not understand why mine did not turn out!! It’s not thick at all like the picture! Looks like chunky soup. I looked over and over and can not figure out what I did wrong! The only thing I changed was I only had half of an onion instead of a whole onion, but I did not think that would change it like this! I think this will get dumped down the drain because it doesn’t even look appitizing.
Avril says
Hi I’m from Trinidad and everyones curry is different. The type of potatoes you use and the time it takes to cook cant affect the thickness. keep trying
Nagi says
Hi Erika – I’m sorry to hear it didn’t work out. It kind of DOES look like a chunky soup…?? That is how I would describe curries. Can you describe a bit more what yours looked like??
Sue Tregenza says
Hi Nagi, made this yesterday for a family lunch, i was a stand alone hit !! I also made your salmon fettucine and that went down well too 🙂
i used one can of chickpeas & one of cannelloni beans and vegetable stock cube (instead of chicken)
besides that it was perfect. thank-you Nagi 🙂
Nagi says
I am so glad you enjoyed this Sue! I made this the other night using random vegetables I had left over, it was so good! And I’m so glad you like the salmon fettuccine too….mmm, you’ve given me a pasta craving!
Lauren says
Omg so delicious! I give it 5 stars! Even my mom who is the PICKIEST eater liked it. The only thing I did different was use vegetable broth instead to make it vegetarian and sprinkling green onion on top at the end gave it the perfect crunch. I also had let mine simmer for about an hour to let all the flavors blend. Thanks!
Nagi says
WOO HOO! So glad you enjoyed this Lauren, thank you! (And FIST PUMP for impressing your mom!)
Emily says
When simmering, do you cover or leave uncovered?
Nagi says
Hi Emily, uncovered 🙂 Uncovered is the default unless a recipe says to cover it 🙂
Molly says
This was really good! It was a bit too spicy for me even though I only added 1/2 tsp cayanne. I added about half a can of coconut milk to make it a little less spicy, which helped a little bit! But other than that, the flavor was really good. It took a while to cook, but it was well worth the wait. Next time I’ll probably omit the cayanne, but I loved it regardless 🙂
Nagi says
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it Molly, thanks for coming back to let me know! N x
Deanna Ford says
Just made this. The flavors are terrific. I put some in a bowl and added a little coconut milk to it and WOW! Took it to another level.
Nagi says
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this Deanna! Thank you so much for letting me know! N x
LibranFlight says
I just tried this dish and it is very good! I found it to be full of flavor and perfectly spicy, as in hot but not painfully hot. I subbed dried cilantro for the fresh parsley asI like cilantro better in these types of dishes and I did not have fresh on hand. Also used 1.5 tbsp chicken “Better Than Bouillon” in 4 cups of water in lieu of chicken broth. I served it with a recipe of your yeast free flat bread, and it was a hit.
I wanted to serve with your butter chicken, but that will have to wait until tomorrow. I doubled the batch of this to make sure we have some to go with another batch of flat bread and a double batch of butter chicken. Well, there are 5 adults and a 2 year old in my home, so I tend to double most smaller recipes to make sure there is enough.
I also made your jam oatmeal bars a few hours ago and only 1 little lonely bar is left….. 🙂
Nagi says
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this! I have a big soft spot for this curry, it is SO good and easy to make!! I also make this with just veggies instead of chickpeas and potatoes, when I’m trying to “be healthy”….. 🙂 N x
Helen says
I made this yesterday and it was really easy and as you said, I had almost all of the ingredients on hand. I didn’t have Allspice as my local grocery store doesn’t carry it (don’t think Japanese cooking uses it much). I cut down a little on the cayenne as I don’t like too my curry too hot. I really enjoyed it and didn’t even care that it didn’t have meat in it!
Oh, I added a bit of Okra to it towards the end of cooking. It helped to thicken it a little too, and was very nice.
Thanks for an easy, delicious recipe!
Nagi says
Oooh! Love the addition of Okra! 🙂 So glad you enjoyed it Helen! N x
Jessica says
I would not recomment adding 2 tbs curry powder. It turned out very grainy and aromatic due to too much curry powder. I am now trying to dilute the aromatic powdery flavor by adding other ingredients. I have made a big pot and i am forced to fix it because we do not throw food in this house!
Tijana says
Hi! My husband doesn’t like curry spice at all, so i left it out. The taste was amazing! Fabulous! Next time you can do the same! Also, since i was trying out this recipe for the first time, i made a small batch , to make sure everybody likes it. Maybe you should do the same. Best regards
P.s. my chana aloo is still simmering but the smells in the kitchen are amazing and i tasted the broth, is that how you call it? Amazing!
I’m from Macedonia, we don’t have meals like these. Thank you! I hope i will make my husband happy…
Nagi says
I do hope he enjoys it Tijuana!!! This recipe really is fantastic!!
Nagi says
I’m sorry to hear that Jessica. Was the curry powder you used a bit old?? I don’t find curry powder to be grainy 🙂
ann says
Can I ask what curry powder you do use Nagi?
I tend to use a hot Madras type powder and I feel 2 Tblsps of that would be a tad OTT.
Nagi says
Hi Ann! I use this one -> https://www.woolworths.com.au/Shop/Search/Products?searchTerm=curry%20powder&name=clive-of-india-curry-powder&productId=30015
It isn’t that hot 🙂 Thanks for the question, I’ll update the recipe!
Annie says
Loved the recipe! It was a tad bit spicy for me, but I enjoyed a bit of frozen yogurt after to cool down. Thanks so much!
Nagi says
Thanks for trying my recipe Annnie! I’m so glad you enjoyed it too! 🙂 N x PS Good excuse for some frozen yoghurt for dessert, hmm? 😉
Barbara says
LOVED this recipe! I did let it simmer a bit longer to get it to thicken more. I Love recipes that have ingredients that I have in my pantry. Thank you!
Nagi says
So glad you enjoyed it Barbara! Thank you for letting me know! N x
Josie Walker says
Great – I’ve always wanted to try making an Indian-style curry at home so I’m going to try this when I have friends around this Friday. Does it matter what brand of curry powder you use? I have a tin of the old Australian standby Keens Curry in the Cupboard which I use for curried egg sandwiches. Will it serve the purpose?
Thanks,
Josie.
Nagi says
Hi Josie! That will work fine 🙂 There’s plenty of other flavours so that even the most basic curry powder works great!
Coryl o'Reilly says
This was scrumptious! I didn’t have all the spices (missing thyme and allspice), but I did have fresh parsley, which is something I never have.
Since I’m Canadian and my can sizes are different, I reduced to 1 can of chickpeas and doubled the potatoes (since I prefer potatoes anyway!). My can of diced tomatoes was twice the size, so I used liquid from it to add to the 2 cups of broth, since I was using a concentrated bouillon powder anyway.
Next time, I’ll reduce the curry powder and cayenne. This had a little too much heat for me, so I finished it off with Greek yogurt–for added protein and to cool it down a bit.
Definitely going to make this regularly. I’m a meat-eater always looking for ways to eat less meat. 😛
This was so filling that the serving sizes are small enough to feed me all week! (I’m a broke university student and this is perfect for leftovers.)
Nagi says
YAY! So glad you enjoyed it Coryl!!! (Can sizes in Canada are different???)
Carolyn says
We loved it! My husband rated it ***** 5 stars! I used vegetable stock and added some spinach as well. I’ll be making this recipe more often 🙂
Nagi says
YESSSS!!! So glad you and hubby loved it Carolyn!!! N x
Yael Neffinger says
Great recipe. Thank you. I put 2 fresh tomatoes cut in cubes instead of the cans. I added 3 carrots. And vegetables broth instead of chicke since I’m vegan. On top of basmati rice. Mmmm … Wonderful.
Nagi says
I’m so glad you enjoyed this Yael! Thank you for letting me know! 🙂
DEmama says
What did I do wrong?! I followed the directions, drained the chic peas, used tomatoes, 2c chicken broth and it us so soupy. The liquid isn’t boiling off to thicken. Boo. Advice?
Nagi says
Hi there! Did you use canned diced or crushed tomatoes, not fresh whole tomatoes? The sauce won’t thicken to a very creamy type consistency, like with cream based curries, but it will thicken like to what you see in the photos!
Ali says
I tried this recipe on Sunday and it was awesome… I followed everything to the “T” and i realize that all the ingredients are found in my kitchen with the exception of cumin. Overall everyone loved it.. will definitely try this again.
Nagi says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Ali! 🙂 Even though the cumin was missing!!!
Amanda @SagelySweet says
This looks just fabulous! I’m a sucker for a good curry and definitely eat way too much in one sitting :D. I had no idea that Caribbean cuisine was comprised of SO many different cultures! So cool! Thanks for sharing 😀
Nagi says
ME TOO Amanada!!! I love curries from everywhere and anywhere and I am notorious for overeating!!!
abi says
How is this a vegetarian curry if it has chicken stock in it?
Kharanya says
Well for one, this is not Trinidadian Channa & Aloo, it’s a dish inspired by it (http://www.simplytrinicooking.com/curry-channa-and-aloo-potato/ is a decent recipe). It’s supposed to be a very simple , vegetarian dish. The only thing you can’t get in a regular grocery to make it is Shadon beni. Though I’ve found it in Mexican groceries called Culantro or in Asian groceries called Saw Leaf Herb. If you cant or don’t feel like searching it out, just use cilantro and you’ll have a more India Indian tasting dish.
Nagi says
That looks like a wonderful site, thank you for the referral Kharanya!
Kharanya says
Btw, it’s always served with some kind of roti, not rice. (http://www.simplytrinicooking.com/buss-up-shut-paratha-roti/ or http://www.simplytrinicooking.com/dhal-puri-roti/) and usually accompanies other dishes. I’m happy you appreciate Caribbean food but as a Trinidadian it’s rather annoying to see this dish called Caribbean and then so completely adulterated.
Nagi says
OK, you got me! 🙂 Good pick up , thank you, I will update the recipe to suggest using vegetable stock!