Coconut Curry Chickpeas with Pumpkin and Lime



YIELD 4 to 5 servings
TIME 30 minutes

Canned pumpkin purée and coconut milk, heavily seasoned with curry spices and lots of fresh lime juice, make a sweet-sharp sauce for chickpeas. It’s a rich, creamy curry that you can eat on its own, or serve over rice or couscous. If you want to incorporate more vegetables, stir in some spinach, baby kale or sliced green beans during the last few minutes of cooking, letting them soften in the sauce.

INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons neutral oil, such as sunflower or canola
1 large onion, chopped
2 jalapeños, seeded or not, thinly sliced *used a sprinkle of cayenne 
1 bay leaf
1 knob ginger (about 1 inch), minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed
1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk (do not use light coconut milk) *agree - the full fat coconut milk made it creamy and decadent 
1 (13.5-ounce) can pumpkin purée
1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt, more as needed
3/4 cup chopped cilantro, more for serving *didn't use
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus wedges for serving *just used for serving on the side
Cooked rice or couscous, for serving (optional) *used basmati rice

PREPARATION
Step 1
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in onion, jalapeño and bay leaf. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is golden on the edges, about 8 minutes.
Step 2
Add ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in garam masala, cumin and turmeric; cook for an additional 30 seconds.
Step 3
Stir in chickpeas, coconut milk, pumpkin, ½ cup water and 1 ½ teaspoons salt. Bring to a simmer and continue to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, to let the flavors meld. (Add more water if it starts to look too thick.) Stir in cilantro and lime juice to taste. Taste and add more salt if necessary.
Step 4
Serve over rice or couscous if you like, and top with more cilantro and lime wedges on the side.

 NOTES
So good! So decadent! So easy (if you use canned chickpeas)!

Substitutions: I didn't have jalapenos so I sprinkled in some cayenne. I served it with basmati rice and that was good. I didn't add in any lime juice and instead let people add it on their own - this worked out well as it really changes the flavor. I also didn't have cilantro but didn't think this needed it.

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