The chickpea and potato curry is a spiced and creamy Indian dish served with rice or with the naan, a very soft bread cooked in a pan. The recipe is easy and simple to execute, in less than two hours you will make this fantastic tasty and nutritious one-pot dish.
The combination of exotic and spicy flavors is typical of India, but the chickpea curry or “chickpea and potato curry” originates in a lighter version in the Caribbean where it is called “chana aloo masala”, an extremely creamy and velvety dish you won’t be able to resist.
In this recipe, there are many spices that are extremely different from each other, creating a complex flavor rich in nuances. The main ingredients are chickpeas and potatoes. If you want to speed up the preparation, you can use canned chickpeas; if you prefer to use dried chickpeas, the preparation will be much longer, and you will need to start the day before.
The coconut milk with its sweetness and creaminess tempers the taste of the spices and tones down the heat of the chili pepper, creating a tasty sauce to accompany white rice or Indian bread. An easy and affordable vegetarian dish perfect for the whole family and ideal for bringing to work.
If you love cuisine from other countries, also try
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Affordable
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Indian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 125.05 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 18.32 (g) of which sugars 3.18 (g)
- Proteins 3.81 (g)
- Fat 4.21 (g) of which saturated 2.80 (g)of which unsaturated 0.35 (g)
- Fibers 3.96 (g)
- Sodium 383.95 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 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
The list of spices is very long, but they are spices that are found in all large supermarkets, and the recipe is really simple.
- 15 oz canned chickpeas (drained and rinsed or chickpeas boiled by you)
- 1 lb potatoes
- 13.5 oz coconut milk
- 3 tbsp coconut oil (I used extra virgin olive oil)
- 1 yellow onion (large)
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- to taste fresh ginger (a piece about 1.2 inches or a teaspoon of ginger powder)
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp curry
- 4 cloves
- 1 Jalapeño pepper (if you don't have it, replace it with a fresh or dried hot pepper)
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp coriander powder
- 7 oz Roma tomatoes (or other ripe tomato)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 7 oz water (or vegetable broth)
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley (fresh)
- 1 cinnamon stick (a piece about 1.6 inches)
- to taste black pepper
Tools
- 1 Skillet
- 1 Cutting Board
Procedure
The procedure is very easy and quick, don’t be scared by the list of ingredients; they are almost all spices found in large supermarkets. If one is missing, it can be omitted or replaced. If you can’t find garam masala, slightly increase all the other spices.
For a milder chickpea curry, you can halve the doses of spices and chili pepper.
Peel the onion and chop it finely. Peel the garlic and mince it.
Wash the tomatoes and cut them into small cubes (about 0.4 inches).
Clean the ginger root and grate it.
Wash the chili pepper and cut it into small pieces.
Rinse the chickpeas from the preserving water and set aside.
Wash the potatoes, peel them, and cut them into large cubes (about 1.2 inches).
Wash the parsley and chop it coarsely.
Heat the oil in a thick-bottomed skillet, add the onion and sauté over medium-low heat, add the garlic, ginger, chili pepper, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring often.
Add the ground spices and toast them for 1 minute, being careful not to burn them; if necessary, add a tablespoon of water.
Add the tomatoes, salt, tomato paste, cinnamon stick, cloves, and cook everything for 5 minutes.
Pour the chickpeas and diced potatoes into the skillet, let them absorb the flavors for two minutes, then add the coconut milk and water (or vegetable broth), stir and bring to a boil, cover, and cook on low heat for 20/25 minutes, stirring occasionally. The chickpea and potato curry is ready when the potatoes are cooked.
Taste and if necessary, adjust the salt.
If the potatoes are cooked, turn off the stove, add the lemon juice, chopped parsley, and if you like, some mint leaves, stir and let rest for 15 minutes.
The chickpea and potato curry is ready, serve it with white rice or homemade naan bread.
Tips
Storage
The chickpea and potato curry can be stored in the fridge for 3 or 4 days in an airtight container.
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