Coconut chickpea curry

Name: Coconut chickpea curry
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 2 tins chickpeas (480 g drained); 2 onions, sliced; 3 garlic cloves, chopped; 1 courgette, cubed; 1 red pepper, cubed; 400 g chopped tomatoes; 300 ml coconut milk; 2 tbsp oil; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp ground turmeric; 1 tsp ground coriander; 1 tbsp hot curry powder; ½ tsp chilli powder; Fresh coriander; Salt and pepper

Local name: Chana masala

Chickpeas, courgette and peppers in a tomato and coconut sauce scented with cumin, turmeric and coriander. Ready in under an hour.

Published on 15 October 2025

VeganGluten-free#chickpeas#coconut milk#curry#courgette#quick

AI-generated image, not a photograph of the dish

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 35 min
Total: 50 min
Serves: 4
Difficulty: Easy

Method

Soften the onions in hot oil for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and all the ground spices and stir for 1 to 2 minutes to toast them.
Add the pepper, then the courgette. Stir to coat in the spices and cook for 5 minutes.
Pour in the tomatoes, chickpeas and coconut milk. Season.
Simmer gently, half covered, for 20 minutes until the sauce thickens.
Scatter with fresh coriander and serve with rice, or naan or bulgur if you are not avoiding gluten.

This curry is even better reheated the next day. For a creamier sauce, mash a handful of chickpeas with a fork before serving.

The techniques this recipe uses

Sweat the aromatics
Medium heat, no browning: the onion should turn translucent and sweet, not toasted.
Reduce
Uncovered, water leaves and flavour concentrates. It is done when the sauce coats the back of a spoon.

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Nutrition per serving

Calories: 472 kcal
Protein: 14.2 g
Fat: 27.2 g
Carbohydrate: 50.8 g
Fibre: 13.9 g

An estimate computed from the recipe quantities and the USDA food composition database. Real values vary with the products used.

Frequently asked questions

Why toast the ground spices before the vegetables?

Ground spices release their aroma into hot fat. A minute or two in the oil with the onion and garlic is enough to cook off the raw, powdery taste. Tipped straight into the tomato, they keep a dusty bitterness.

What if my sauce stays too thin?

Carry on cooking half-covered, as directed, so the water from the courgette can evaporate, then mash a handful of chickpeas with a fork: their starch thickens the sauce without adding any fat.

Which coconut milk and which curry powder should I use?

Full-fat tinned coconut milk gives a creamy sauce, while a light coconut drink stays watery. As for the curry powder, the recipe calls for a hot blend on top of the chilli: cut it back if you are cooking for children, since the turmeric and coriander carry plenty of flavour.

Indian vegetarian cooking, where to begin
Learn the north-south divide, the tadka technique and the spices worth buying first so you can cook Indian food without meat.
Coconut milk, from Kerala to the Caribbean
What coconut milk does in each tropical kitchen, the difference between first and second pressing, and how to stop it splitting.
DIY oat milk and the plant milks of the world
Valencian horchata, Chinese doujiang, medieval almond milk, coconut milk: where plant milks come from, and a method in grams for making DIY oat milk.

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