The chickpea curry is a delicious, creamy, and easy-to-prepare Indian dish. A highly spiced main course with an oriental aroma, which is nothing more than the vegetarian version of chicken curry. A nutritious and tasty dish that can also be enjoyed as a one-pot meal. This recipe is actually served at the table with boiled Basmati rice. Alternatively, it can also be served with Naan bread or simply with slices of toasted bread.
In my version, I used the instant pot, but you can also use the traditional pressure cooker. If you’re lucky enough to have an electric pressure cooker, you can prepare pilaf rice and chickpea curry using just one pot, with the pot-in-pot cooking method. This cooking method allows you to cook with a smaller pot inside the electric pressure cooker. It’s a very useful cooking technique that can save you time.
Alternatively, you can always make this recipe with the traditional pressure cooker using two pots or at different times: first the chickpea curry and then the pilaf rice. Don’t worry, because I’ll provide both cooking versions. If you’re curious to learn how to prepare them, read the recipe because the chickpea curry in the electric pressure cooker will be ready in a click!
If you’re interested in other Indian recipes, also read:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Affordable
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 6 people
- Cooking methods: Instant pot, Pressure cooker
- Cuisine: Indian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter, and Spring
- Energy 184.26 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 23.14 (g) of which sugars 2.36 (g)
- Proteins 6.87 (g)
- Fat 6.46 (g) of which saturated 1.32 (g)of which unsaturated 0.17 (g)
- Fibers 5.73 (g)
- Sodium 1,055.17 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 269 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 17 oz canned chickpeas
- 1/2 white onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1/2 cup water (warm)
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 1/2 tsp hot chili pepper
- 1/3 tsp ground ginger
- paprika (to taste)
- salt (to taste)
- cilantro (to taste, chopped fresh or parsley)
- 1 cup Basmati rice
- 1.75 cups water (room temperature)
- 1 star anise
- 3 cloves
- 1 tsp coarse salt
Tools
- Pressure Cooker electric
- Grill for steaming
- Small Pot for pressure cooker
- Cutting Board
- Knife
Steps
Let’s start the preparation in the instant pot. First, wash the rice thoroughly under cold water. Repeat this step several times to remove the starch and drain it. Then pour it into the pot for the pressure cooker and add water, coarse salt, star anise, and cloves. Set aside.
Clean and chop half an onion and do the same for the garlic clove. Then transfer them to the inner pot of the instant pot and add oil and fresh or dried hot chili pepper. Sauté for a few minutes using the sauté function.
Then add curry, ginger, and paprika, and toast for 2 minutes in the pot with the function set previously. Then pour in the chickpeas, tomato sauce, and water, and adjust the salt. Place the steaming rack in the pot and subsequently the pot with Basmati rice. Close the pot, set the lever to sealing, and set to steam cooking (low) for 10 minutes.
After the cooking time, wait for 5 minutes, then start the decompression by moving the lever to venting. Remove the pot with rice from the pot, discard the spices, and fluff the rice with a fork.
For the preparation of chickpea curry in the traditional pressure cooker, proceed first with the cooking of the curry as indicated above. In another pressure cooker, cook the Basmati rice following the procedure here. Alternatively, you can remove the curry once ready from the pot, clean the latter, and proceed with the preparation of pilaf rice with the same pot. The chickpea curry is ready! Serve it with fresh chopped cilantro and pilaf rice.
Variations and Tips for Chickpea Curry in the Electric Pressure Cooker
This dish can be stored for one or two days in the refrigerator in a container with a lid.
FAQ Questions and Answers for Chickpea Curry in the Electric Pressure Cooker
How can I replace fresh cilantro?
As an alternative to cilantro, you can use fresh chopped parsley.
What can I substitute for pilaf rice?
You can serve this dish with Naan bread, Paratha, or Chapati.
