Spicy Coconut Chickpea Stew
This Alison Roman recipe originally appeared on NYT Cooking
This version includes a few minor changes to the original.
I’ve started a new series over here without announcing it.
It’s called “food that’s comforting me during social distancing and self-quarantining at home”.
Can you see why I didn’t *actually* name it? That name is ridiculous and long, yet so so true.
We all know about social distancing, though just a few weeks ago it was a term we’ve, most likely, never actually used.
And now it’s ALL I see and hear – and here I am contributing to it.
Albeit…slightly different, because I’m contributing to the noise via FOOD. And downright delicious food at that.
You may have seen my love letter to Alison Roman last week, in which I basically reiterated how much I love her recipes because they’re flavorful, feel-good recipes. It also helps that they’re beautiful.
And, this Spicy Coconut Chickpea Stew is NO different. I spotted Alison’s recipe for this on NYT Cooking and knew I had to make it.
I had a tab open with it on my browser and had just picked up all of the ingredients when I was flipping through Instagram stories (is that what we’re all doing right now anyways?) and saw that one of my good friends here in Atlanta was in the MIDST of making it that exact same recipe!
Out of all the recipes in the world, how wild is it that a friend was making the very same Alison Roman recipe that I had JUST saved and was getting ready to whip up that same week? It was fate, I tell you. And guess what – we both LOVED it.
It’s spicy, sweet, and so. filling. Which is basically everything I look for in a meal. It’s also pretty much a one-pot meal which makes clean-up MUCH more….err….doable. I’d say enjoyable but the only time I enjoy doing dishes is in the morning when I can watch Virgin River or some other comfort Netflix show….like Love is Blind 😂.
Now that you’ve waited long enough, here’s that recipe, y’all!
Spicy Coconut Chickpea Stew
Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large pot over medium. Add garlic, onion and ginger. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally until onion is translucent and starts to brown a little at the edges, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add 1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric, 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, and the chickpeas, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, so the chickpeas sizzle and fry a bit in the spices and oil, until they’ve started to break down and get a little browned and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove about a cup of chickpeas and set aside for garnish.
Using a wooden spoon or spatula, further crush the remaining chickpeas slightly to release their starchy insides. (This will help thicken the stew.) Add coconut milk and chickpea liquid or broth, and season with salt and pepper.
Bring to a simmer, scraping up any bits that have formed on the bottom of the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until stew has thickened, 30 to 35 minutes. (Taste a chickpea or two, not just the liquid, to make sure they have simmered long enough to be as delicious as possible.) If after 30 to 35 minutes, you want the stew a bit thicker, keep simmering until you've reached your desired consistency. Determining perfect stew thickness is a personal journey!
Add greens and stir, making sure they’re submerged in the liquid. Cook until they wilt and soften, 3 to 7 minutes, depending on what you’re using. (Swiss chard and spinach will wilt and soften much faster than kale or collard greens.) Season again with salt and pepper.
Divide among bowls and top with mint, reserved chickpeas, a sprinkle of red-pepper flakes and a good drizzle of olive oil. Serve alongside yogurt and toasted pita if using; dust the yogurt with turmeric if you'd like.
Ingredients
Directions
Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large pot over medium. Add garlic, onion and ginger. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally until onion is translucent and starts to brown a little at the edges, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add 1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric, 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, and the chickpeas, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, so the chickpeas sizzle and fry a bit in the spices and oil, until they’ve started to break down and get a little browned and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove about a cup of chickpeas and set aside for garnish.
Using a wooden spoon or spatula, further crush the remaining chickpeas slightly to release their starchy insides. (This will help thicken the stew.) Add coconut milk and chickpea liquid or broth, and season with salt and pepper.
Bring to a simmer, scraping up any bits that have formed on the bottom of the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until stew has thickened, 30 to 35 minutes. (Taste a chickpea or two, not just the liquid, to make sure they have simmered long enough to be as delicious as possible.) If after 30 to 35 minutes, you want the stew a bit thicker, keep simmering until you've reached your desired consistency. Determining perfect stew thickness is a personal journey!
Add greens and stir, making sure they’re submerged in the liquid. Cook until they wilt and soften, 3 to 7 minutes, depending on what you’re using. (Swiss chard and spinach will wilt and soften much faster than kale or collard greens.) Season again with salt and pepper.
Divide among bowls and top with mint, reserved chickpeas, a sprinkle of red-pepper flakes and a good drizzle of olive oil. Serve alongside yogurt and toasted pita if using; dust the yogurt with turmeric if you'd like.
The main differences you’ll see here (in ingredients, not directions – those are verbatim) are that instead of 2 cans of coconut milk, I only used one. And, instead of vegetable/chicken broth, I saved the liquid from the chickpeas and used that. I was a little short on the liquid, so I made up the difference by adding extra water.
Y’all I can’t say it enough, this one is SO good so please get the ingredients now and enjoy it! The perfect cozy comfort meal.
*Again, please note that this recipe is by Alison Roman as featured on NYT Cooking
