Recipe: Spicy Chickpea Stew

My obsession with north African and middle eastern flavours contines. This chickpea stew is so easy to make and you can change up the vegetables to suit your taste or whatever happens to be in your kitchen. I made this for lunch Easter Sunday having returned from holidays the previous day. I didn't have a chance to do my usual shop so I just grabbed whatever vegetables were available in the organic section of my local supermarket. This serves two decent sized portions.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of coconut oil

1 onion, finely chopped

4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 medium sized carrots, chopped

2 sweet potatoes, chopped

Bunch of coriander finely chopped

1 inch of ginger, minced

1 teaspoon of turmeric

1 teaspoon of sumac

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

400g of chickpeas*

Tin of plum tomatoes

Small handful of chopped almonds

1 cup of brown rice

Salt and pepper to season

*If using tinned, drain and rinse before use. If not, prepare your chickpeas by soaking them overnight and then cooking them in water for about 45 minutes to an hour.

Method:

Heat the coconut oil over a medium heat.

Add the onions and cook for about five minutes. Then add the garlic, carrots and sweet potatoes. Allow to cook for about 10 minutes, adding a splash of water every two minutes or so to stop the vegetables sticking to the saucepan.

Add the spices and coriander and cook for about two minutes, stirring constantly.

Next add the tin of tomatoes and allow to cook for about five minutes, breaking the tomatoes up with the back of a wooden spoon as the mixture cooks.

Then add the chickpeas and season with salt and pepper. Turn down the heat a little and allow the stew to cook for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook your rice by adding it to two cups of boiling water and cooking until it becomes fluffy.

Toast your chopped almonds under the grill for about 3 minutes, being careful not to burn them.

I like to serve this dish in a bowl with the rice on the side. Toss the toasted almonds over the stew and rice and finish with some chopped coriander.

..... And enjoy !!

#recipes #food #mains