Finally – a chickpea recipe worth making!!! With a simple coconut curry sauce made with astonishingly few ingredients, this Brazilian Chickpea Curry transforms lifeless cans of chickpeas into something that sounds exotic, smells enticing, and tastes so, so good….
This is a recipe we regularly make at our food bank, RecipeTin Meals, because it ticks a lot of boxes:our patrons love it, it’s easy to scale up, economical, gluten-free, freezes perfectly!
Brazilian Chickpea Curry
The sauce for this curry is swiped from Brazilian Fish Stew, a traditional Brazilian dish that’s been a reader favourite for many years now. It tastes like a coconut curry, yet it’s made with just 2 spices – paprika and cumin. Far simpler than most of the from-scratch curry pastes I’ve shared over the years!
That fish stew really is all about that sauce, so it was inevitable that I’d start playing around with other ways to use it. Chicken – done. Shrimp/prawns – a winner.
And it turns out it can also totally transform a dull looking can of chickpeas into something totally fabulous!!
What you need for Brazilian Chickpea Curry
Here’s what you need.
Just a few notes on some of the ingredients:
Chickpeas – canned for convenience, dried if you prefer (directions in notes)
Cayenne pepper is optional – it’s for a kick of spice. Because, well, you know. Curry. Spicy.
Coriander haters – sub with chives.
Baby Spinach – it’s just to cram some extra greens in. Sub with kale or anything leafy that’s wiltable.
How to make this Chickpea Curry
All in one pot – and it comes together quickly. Once you sauté the onion, garlic and capsicum, you literally just dump everything else in then leave to simmer for 10 minutes to let the sauce thicken.
That is one mighty delicious bowl for something that requires relatively little effort with a “normal” ingredients list.
It’s got a nice workflow flow to it as well. There’s no need to measure out all the spices etc before you start cooking. You pop open the cans and dump them into the pot. Then just measure the spices straight from the jar into the pot.
Oh – speaking of “pot” – I keep saying “pot” even though you see a skillet in the photos and video. The skillet I used was too small – I had to stir the sauce so carefully to avoid spillage.
Don’t make my mistake. Use a pot so you can stir enthusiastically and with abundance. – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Brazilian Coconut Chickpea Curry
Ingredients
Chickpea Curry:
- 1.5 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion , finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 red capsicum/bell peppers , cut into 3 x 0.75cm / 1.25 x 1/3″” strips
- 2 cans chickpeas , drained (Note 1)
- 400ml/14oz coconut milk , full fat for best flavour (Note 2)
- 400ml/14oz can crushed tomato
- 1 cup (250ml) chicken or vegetable stock/broth , low sodium
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1/2 – 1 tsp cayenne pepper (adjust spiciness to taste)
- 1.5 tsp sugar (any type)
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 50g / 2oz baby spinach leaves (or kale)
Finishing & Serving:
- 3 tbsp coriander/cilantro , roughly chopped, plus more for serving (Note 3)
- 1 tbsp lime juice , plus extra wedges for serving
- Yogurt (optional)
- Rice – or something to soak up the sauce (Note 4)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pot or large deep skillet over high heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for 1 minute.
- Add capsicum, cook for 2 minutes until onion is translucent and slightly golden on edges.
- Add remaining Curry ingredients except baby spinach. Stir, bring to simmer then lower to medium low so it’s simmering gently.
- Simmer 12 – 15 minutes until it changes from pale pink to an orangey red colour.
- Stir in spinach until just wilted, then stir in coriander and lime juice. Add more salt it needed.
- Serve over rice with a dollop of yogurt, extra sprinkle of coriander and squeeze of lime (don’t go overboard, I often do and it’s too sour!)
Recipe Notes:
- STOVE: soak overnight in lots of water. Pick out anything that doesn’t look like chickpeas that floats to the surface. Place in a saucepan with 3 cups of water and simmer on medium for 40 – 50 minutes (depends on chickpea size) until they are very soft. Skim off any skin that floats to the surface. Drain, proceed with recipe.
- PRESSURE COOKER: No soaking required, cover with 3 cups of water and cook 45 minutes on high.
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
You’d think I had a stash of treats in my slippers or something, the way he was snuffling around inside it! (Just to confirm, I did not)
Delish thank you! I’m always looking for tasty veg based meals to make a number of times a week & this was quick, easy & tasty. Subbed 1 can of chickpeas with lentils and added some chipotle powder for extra kick. Perfect.
Yum! Sounds perfect Kerrie! N x
I have this simmering as I type! Can’t wait for dinner. I used one can of chickpeas and one can of black beans, and I had some very small-diced butternut pumpkin in the fridge I needed to use, so that has gone in too…see how it goes!
You’ll love it Annie!!
Another winner! Only change I made was one can chickpeas and one can butter beans. Saved to my favourites and Hubby happy.
Hi Nagi,
Can this be made ahead of time? Or should I cook it then reheat when serving? Thanks!
Hi Liz, sure can, just reheat to serve. N x
Love this dish. So easy and delicious.
Thanks Nagi.
You are in my kichen most of the time .
Love Dozer too.
I’m so happy you love it Ana, thanks so much ❤️
Another winner! Thank you x
Made this today. For us in Canada whose canned tomatoes come in 14 oz tins, if you open it, drain the liquid off the whole tomatoes then mash them in the can, the yield is the amount called for 🙂 I didn’t have any spinach but had some bok choy so I cut the white ends and sauteed them along with the garlic and onion to soften and used the green ends as my “spinach”. This would easily lend itself to many green substitutions.
I was sure that I would not like this dish but since I had all the ingredients I wanted to try it to have a veggie meal that I could make for vegetarians. I was very pleasantly surprised at how delish it was. I cooked some basmati rice using Nagi’s rice cooking instructions and it came out perfectly. Gave some to a neighbour who doesn’t eat much meat and she really liked it.
NOTE to Nagi – I’m not seeing the instructions for brown rice yet. Am I looking at it and just not seeing it?? Always a possibility.
Another winner!
This is our dinner tonight!!!!! I will serve over buttered quinoa. Otherwise the recipe I am using is exactly what you posted.
I would try this next time with a mixture of beans (dark red kidney beans, black beans, butter beans) over the buttered quinoa.
This is on the stove and smells amazing after having your lentil soup last night. Pastrami tomorrow (cause we love it) and the pork tenderloin to finish the week. Love your recipes.
Woah, that’s commitment! I hope you loved the curry! N x
Can this be frozen?
Sure can Lucy!
OH YES, I can’t wait to make this! I’m trying to make an effort to include more vegetarian meals and more pulses into our diets and meals like this tick all the boxes, as well as being cheap and easy! More like this please Nagi! 😍
You’ll love it Kat, you wont miss the meat at all! N x
Made this tonight for supper. It was delishous. I make a lot of your receipts and they are always delish
Thanks so much for the great feedback Pam!
I love your receipts they are easy and very tasty. Look forward every week to your newsletter.
There is no curry in the chickpea curry
Receipe?
Hi Anne, do you mean theres no curry powder in the curry? N x
Hi Nagi,
This looks amazing and I love that it can be made simply with spices from my pantry!
Unfortunately, I really hate the taste of cooked capsicum (picky, I know)… I understand that capsicum adds a very unique element to the dish that can’t be easily replaced, but do you happen to have any suggestions of what other veg I could sub it with for a tasty capsicum-less curry? I trust your taste buds on this, everything you post is amazing!
Thank you 🙂
Hi Anna, just leave it out if you prefer! You could add zucchini or beans just to add some extra veg in there (it will taste great in this sauce). N x
I LOVE your pics of Dozer! He’s precious! Of course your recipes are great too! I enjoyed making some of them. Yummy!
Thanks so much Martha!
Is this freezer friendly?
Hi El, yes it is! N x
Thanks Nagi!
Hi Nagi! Quick question, when adding the coconut milk, do you add the solids as well as the liquid? Or, just the liquid? Thank you!!!
Hi Annie, the solids and liquid separate when stored for a period of time. Shake the can/container then add the whole product 🙂
You are the best cook ever
Thanks so much Cleo!!
Hi Nagi,
I’m making this as I type! Just a few minor notes – you forgot to mention to add spinach in with the lime juice and coriander in step 5, also your video says to simmer for 20mims but the written recipe says to simmer for 10mins in step 4. Other than that, it smells great and am looking forward to devouring it!
Yum! Thank you as always. Thinking of you during your dangerous storm. Blessing upon you and Dozer.
Thanks so much Tammy ❤️
Cannelloni Beans sounds delicious. 😂
Nagi, this sounds delish! Just a question about the calories. You’ve put 399kcal. One kcal =1000 calories!!
Is this correct or is it 399 calories per serve?
P.S. love your recipes, I cook at least two of them every week.
Hi Carole! It should be 399 calories! Thanks for picking that up 🙂
Thanks for the clarification. I can eat this on my Fast800. Phew!