Potato and chickpea curry

Ingredients

For the chickpea curry

• 1 onion, sliced

• 1 red chlli, finely chopped

• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, finely chopped

• 1 tbsp cumin powder

• 1 tbsp coriander powder

• 1 tsp turmeric powder

• 1 tsp chilli powder

• ½ tsp fenugreek powder (optional)

• ½ tsp asafoetida powder (optional)

• 200ml tomato passata

• 1 bay leaf

• 2 large potatoes

• 1 400g tin chickpeas

• Olive oil

For the rice

• 300g basmati rice

• 1 onion, sliced

• 3 cloves garlic, chopped

• 2 cardoman pods

• 4 cloves

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 small cinnamon stick

• 1 star anise

• 1 tbsp turmeric

• 1 tsp black mustard seeds (optional)

• Olive oil

Yummy chickpea curry with fragrant rice

Spice up your supper with this chickpea curry dish that’s full of flavour and protein but low in fat. This vegan curry recipe is one I’ve experimented with over the years and it’s easy to adapt to suit your own tastes or what you have in the fridge. Several of the ingredients are optional, so don’t worry about dashing out to buy them if you don’t have them in the cupboard. This makes four large portions of potato and chickpea curry.

Step 1 Peel and chop the potatoes then boil them in water for 15 minutes.

Step 2 Heat 1-2 tbsp of olive oil then fry the onion gently for 3-5 minutes until softened. Next, add the chopped garlic, ginger and chilli and fry on a low heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Now add the cumin, coriander, turmeric, chilli, asafoetida, fenugreek and 2 tbsp of water and stir to make a paste. Cook on the lowest heat for 1 minute. Add the passata, bay leaf, and about 50ml of water and stir well. Turn up to a medium heat, place the lid on and cook for 2-3 minutes. If it starts to look too thick, add a small amount of water.

Step 3 Drain the chickpeas and part-cooked potatoes and add to the sauce. Turn the heat down and simmer. Heat for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are fully cooked through.

Step 4 In a separate pan, heat 1-2 tbsp of olive oil then fry the onion for the rice for 3-5 mins. Add the chopped garlic and mustard seeds and cook for 1-2 mins. Stir in the turmeric and 1 tbsp of water to make a paste then add the basmati rice and stir well until all the rice is coated.

Step 5 Pour 600ml of water into the pan, stir and bring to the boil. Pop the cardamon pods, cinnamon stick, star anise and bay leaf in the water, then turn down to a simmer. Place the lid on the pan and cook for 10-12 minutes or until the rice is ready.

Step 6 Season to taste then serve the rice and vegan curry onto plates and tuck in.

Tips Fancy more veg? This chickpea curry works well with spinach and cauliflower and for fewer carbs, just leave the potatoes out. If you like your curry more or less spicy, simply tweak the amount of chillies and chilli powder. And if you really love spice, try adding a scotch bonnet or naga chilli. One tsp of jarred ginger or ginger powder can be used in place of the fresh ginger.

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