Julie Biuso's Coconut Chickpea Curry

Why order sub-par takeaways when you can get this rich curry on the table in an hour?

Julie BiusoChef
  • prepare
  • cook
  • 4-6 servings
  • Moderate
A close-up image of coconut chickpea curry on a shallow white bowl, decorated with curry leaves and a tomato.
Caption:Julie Biuso's coconut chickpea curry goes well with roast chicken, rice, Indian breads or a selection of vegetables.Photo credit:Julie Biuso

This rich curry is great with rice or with Indian breads. If you eat meat, a roast chicken of some kind is a perfect plate-mate. Otherwise, serve with a selection of vegetables (go for green, crunchy, tart, fried etc, to create contrasts).

Both the tamarind liquid and the coconut broth can be made ahead. The finished curry can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp tamarind pulp (for the chickpea curry)
  • ½ cup just-boiled water (for the chickpea curry)
  • 3 Tbsp oil (for the chickpea curry)
  • Small piece cinnamon stick (for the chickpea curry)
  • 3 medium onions, peeled and roughly chopped (for the chickpea curry)
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric (for the chickpea curry)
  • ¼-½ tsp chilli powder (for the chickpea curry)
  • 400g can chickpeas, drained (for the chickpea curry)
  • 3 medium-large tomatoes, quartered and cored (for the chickpea curry)
  • 200ml canned coconut cream (for the chickpea curry)
  • Salt (for the chickpea curry)
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced (for the coconut broth)
  • 2 Tbsp coriander seeds (for the coconut broth)
  • ¾ cup desiccated coconut (for the coconut broth)
  • 300ml water (for the coconut broth)
  • 2 Tbsp oil (for the masala topping)
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds (for the masala topping)
  • 3 stems curry leaves (for the masala topping)
  • 4 dried red chillies (for the masala topping)
  • Few pieces of cinnamon stick (for the masala topping)

Instructions

  1. Make the tamarind liquid first. Put tamarind pulp in a small bowl and cover with hot water. Leave to cool, then use your fingers to separate the pulp from the seeds and fibre. Push the mixture through a sieve and discard seeds and fibre. Set aside tamarind liquid.
  2. To make the coconut broth, put garlic, coriander seeds and desiccated coconut in a medium-sized, dry frying pan and set the pan over a low heat. Cook for a few minutes, until fragrant and coconut is turning light golden; stir constantly once it starts to colour. Remove pan from heat and cool contents for 5 minutes. Transfer to the bowl of a food processor and blend for 1 minute. While the machine is running, pour in water through the feed tube and process for 1 minute more, until smooth.
  3. To make the chickpea curry, heat oil in a large saucepan and add cinnamon stick and onions. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are tender and translucent. Stir in turmeric and chilli powder, then add chickpeas and tomatoes. Add blended coconut broth, bring to a gentle bubble, lower heat and cook gently for 15 minutes, stirring from time to time.
  4. Stir in coconut cream and tamarind liquid, season with a few pinches of salt, then transfer to a serving bowl.
  5. To make the masala topping, heat oil in a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Have a pan cover ready to grab (splatter screen or large lid; once you add the mustard seeds they will pop all over the place). Add mustard seeds, curry leaves, dried chillies and cinnamon stick and immediately cover pan. Cook briefly – about 30 seconds – until the mustard seeds stop popping, then tip contents of pan into chickpea curry. Stir and serve.

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