Curried Chickpeas with Spinach and Tomatoes

Curried Chickpeas with Spinach and Tomatoes  (image by Cynthia Zirkwitz)

Indian cuisine is, in my experience, fragrant, delicious and satisfying to eat.  For vegans, an Indian restaurant always offers a variety of dishes to meet their religious or ethical requirements.  When I first mentioned the upcoming "Crazy About Curry" Night hosted by the Alberni Vegetarian Supper Club on March 21, 2019, many folks responded with "I love Indian food!" on social media.

Happily for you lovers of Indian vegetarian recipes, I have scored this and many other sumptuous Indian recipes that I will share over the next few weeks until the NEXT Supper Night, which will likely be foods from another ethnic or cultural community.  If you live near Port Alberni, B|C (on Vancouver Island), you are very welcome to drop in and share the dining pleasures with the Supper Club-- every third Thursday of the month (except for July/August) at 4109 Kendall Street in the Basement Kitchen of the Port Alberni Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Find links to other Crazy About Curry recipes at the bottom of this post.



CURRIED CHICKPEAS WITH SPINACH AND TOMATOES
**Serves 4-6  Preparation Time: 30+ Minutes Total**

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tsp. Olive Oil, divided
• 4 Garlic Cloves, chopped
• 1 Fresh Red Chili Pepper (Jalapeno or Fresno), coarsely chopped
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh Ginger
• 1 pound/16 oz./454 g flat-leaf Spinach, tough stems trimmed
• Kosher Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp. Curry Powder
• 1       tsp. Chili Powder
• 2 X 15-oz/425 g tins of Chickpeas, rinsed (about 4 cups)
• 1 X 24 oz/680 g tin of Whole Peeled Tomatoes
• 1/2 Cup Water
• Flatbread or Steamed White Rice

Notes: I was eager to try this "easier homestyle dish" last night and didn't have the opportunity to shop for the exact ingredients listed above so did some subbing: 

1.  I try to cook without oils, so used water-- worked out fine for the two of us. A small amount to begin the cooking and more as I thought it was needed.
2. No red chilies in our house, so I used a standard red bell pepper.  
3. No spinach, but I did have fresh Chard-- you can probably tell in the photo-- I chopped up the stems and used them as well.  It was delicious.
4. I used a locally-made Curry Powder, but if you like, you can make your own Garam Masala  I do plan to do that.  
5. I made Organic Basmati White Rice (used 2 Cups, soaked for 30 minutes, soak water discarded).  I do love Naan Bread and will eventually include a link to a recipe.
6. If you tried this recipe, are there substitutions you made?  How did it work for you?  Drop a line in the COMMENTS at the bottom of the post.  

 METHOD:

1. Heat 1 Tbsp. Oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat.
2. Add Garlic, Chili, and Ginger.  Cook until fragrant and softened (about 4 minutes)
3. Working in batches, add Spinach by the handful, tossing to wilt between additions.  Cook until full wilted and bright green, stirring often (about 15 minutes)
4. Transfer mixture to a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.  
5. Season, to taste, with Kosher Salt and Black Pepper.
6. Wipe out the skillet.
7. Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. Oil in same skillet over medium-high heat.  Add Onion and cook until softened (5-6 minutes).
8. Add Curry Powder and Chili Powder and cook until toasted and fragrant (about 1 minute)
9. Add Chickpeas and Tomatoes with juices.  Squeeze tomatoes with your hand as you add them in.  Add about 1/2 Cup of Water.
10. Season again with Salt and Pepper and simmer until Tomatoes are broken down and sauce has thickened (about 10 minutes).
11. Fold in the Spinach puree.
12. Serve over rice or with flatbread.

OTHER RECIPES FROM THE 'CRAZY FOR CURRY' NIGHT:
Please click HERE   If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it turned out and will share your comments (below) with the Alberni Vegetarian Supper Club crew and organizers!  God bless!