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It’s easy to make curry coconut chickpea stew and this is a South East Asian or Indian inspired recipe bursting with rich flavors. If you’re a fan of coconut and you also like chickpeas, or garbanzo beans as they’re also known, this curried chickpea stew will wow your tastebuds. It’s a beautiful and colorful treat which smells incredible. You can make this as spicy or as mild as you wish.
Garlic, coconut, red curry paste, tomatoes, and kale are just some of the exciting flavors in this curry vegetable stew. It’s worth making a batch because it reheats easily and freezes well too.
This beanless chili is another hearty dish to consider or you might prefer Mexican carnitas. If you’re craving soup, this sausage tortellini soup is really good.
Curry Coconut Chickpea Stew Ingredients
The main ingredients in this chickpea soup are chickpeas and coconut milk. Use full-fat coconut milk for the richest result and bear in mind coconut water and coconut cream are not the same as coconut milk. As for the chickpeas, you can sub another type of bean or pulse if preferred.
Onion, garlic, tomatoes and broth also go into this chickpea soup. You can use vegetable broth or chicken broth for this recipe. I like to add a big bunch of kale to South East Asian or Indian curried chickpea stew. If kale isn’t a favourite for you, then you can replace it with Swiss chard, spinach or whichever leafy greens you prefer. Not keen on any of them? No problem, you can omit this ingredient altogether.
The other ingredients you will need are oil, salt, curry powder, and red curry paste. Either coconut or vegetable oil would be fine for curry vegetable stew, or you could even use olive oil.
As for the curry powder, I used hot but you can sub medium or mild. And there are lots of different brands of red curry paste so just use whichever you happen to have because any of them would work and yield similar results.
You might like to add other ingredients to the stew. Sweet potatoes would be really good in there. If you prefer, you can serve potatoes as a side dish, although rice would be another tasty possibility. Bread would work too.
How to Make Curried Chickpea Stew
Trim, chop and rinse the kale leaves and let them dry. Sauté the onion, garlic and a pinch of salt in the oil in a pot for several minutes. Keep an eye on the mixture because if the garlic burns you’ll have to start the curry coconut chickpea stew again from scratch!
When the onion is soft you can add the curry powder and curry paste to the mixture and cook briefly. Next add the tomatoes, broth and chickpeas and bring everything to a boil. By this point the curry coconut chickpea stew will smell incredible.
Turn down the heat and simmer for a while then add the coconut milk and simmer for a few more minutes. Now you can add the kale to the curry vegetable stew and cook for several minutes or until it’s wilted. Now serve the chickpea soup hot and see how tasty it is!
A Closer Look at Chickpeas
Curry coconut chickpea stew has chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) as the main ingredient. So if you’re looking for a South East Asian or Indian vegetarian recipe, use vegetarian broth and this will be ideal.
Although chickpeas are usually referred to as a type of bean, they don’t belong to the bean or pea families. Instead they’re a tender legume from a bushy plant that can grow up to 1½ feet tall.
Chickpeas are considered a superfood and they’re popular in many recipes from pasta chickpea stew to easy beet hummus. This ingredient is packed with protein and fiber along with nutrients like iron and calcium. You can cook them fresh or use canned. There are even recipes for fried chickpeas or you can buy them that way if you’re craving some crunch!
Curried Chickpea Stew FAQs
Curry coconut chicken stew should be fine for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Alternatively you can freeze it in individual portions then thaw it overnight and warm it back up in a pan on the stove. It should be fine for up to 3 months in the freezer.
Actually it’s fair to say this curried chickpea stew is a fusion dish rather than being strictly South East Asian or Indian. Red curry paste is a Thai ingredient while curry powder is more Indian in style.
Other ingredients, such as the garlic, onion and kale, are used in multiple cuisines. Sometimes it’s nice to take inspiration from more than one cuisine and come up with a delicious hybrid dish. Take this baked feta pasta as another example – feta is Greek while pasta is Italian, but they are so good together!
Curry Coconut Chickpea Stew Recipe
Curry Coconut Chickpea Stew
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 onion
- 3 Cloves garlic
- 1 Teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 Tablespoons hot curry powder
- 1/2 Tablespoons red curry paste
- 1 Can diced tomatoes, 14.5 ounces
- 3 Cup vegetable broth, or chicken
- 2 Cans chickpeas, 15 ounce cans
- 1 Can coconut milk, full fat
- 8 Ounces kale
Instructions
- Remove the stems from the kale and cut the leaves into chunks, wash and dry the kale leaves. Set aside to dry
- Heat oil over medium-high heat in a dutch oven. Add the onion, garlic, and kosher salt. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring until translucent and soft. Be careful not to burn the garlic.
- Add hot curry powder and red curry paste to the pot and stir for 15 to 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add diced tomatoes, broth of choice, and chickpeas to the soup pot. Stir and scrape the bottom of the pot and bring to a boil.
- Reduce to a simmer, cover. Simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add coconut milk and simmer for another 5 minutes to meld the flavours together.
- Add the kale and cook until wilted, about 3 minutes.
Nutrition
You are going to love how delicious this curry coconut chickpea stew is. It’s packed with protein, fiber and nutrients and, what’s more, this curry vegetable stew is hearty and satisfying.
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Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
Tried the curry coconut chickpea stew, and it’s a total winner! Rich, colorful, and full of flavor—can’t wait to make it again!
Can’t stop thinking about this soup—it’s hearty and full of flavor!
This meal was a big success! My family adored it and they want it back on the menu soon.
This was delicious! Thanks for the recipe. Next time I make it, I will use half the chickpeas and kale so that I can have more broth.
Glad you enjoyed it!
This looks so good! Will try tonight!