Chickpea and Cauliflower Curry

  • Level: Easy
  • Yield: 6 servings
  • Total: 1 hr 50 min
  • Prep: 1 hr 2 min
  • Cook: 48 min
This hearty, plant-forward curry leans on Indian essentials like turmeric, cardamom and cinnamon to deepen the rich flavors of vegetables. Okra adds bright color and helps to thicken the stew.
Advertisement

Ingredients

1/2 pound dried chickpeas

2 bay leaves

1 cinnamon stick

4 cardamom pods, cracked

6 whole cloves

12 black peppercorns

2 red onions; 1 quartered, 1 diced

1 3-inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped

4 cloves garlic

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Kosher salt

1 serrano chile pepper, chopped (remove seeds for less heat)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/8 teaspoon turmeric

2 plum tomatoes, diced

6 cups cauliflower florets

1/2 pound fresh or frozen okra (thawed, if frozen), halved lengthwise

Juice of 1 lemon

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro or mint

Directions

  1. Soak the chickpeas overnight in a bowl of cold water; drain and place in a large pot. Wrap the bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cardamom, cloves and peppercorns in a piece of cheesecloth and tie with twine. Add to the pot along with 8 cups water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, skimming off any foam from the surface. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the chickpeas are tender, about 50 minutes. Strain the chickpeas, reserving the cooking liquid and spice bundle. Meanwhile, pulse the quartered onion, ginger and garlic in a mini food processor to form a paste. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and cook until browned, 6 to 10 minutes. Add 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, the ginger-garlic paste and the serrano. Cook, stirring, until the mixture is dry, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the cumin, coriander and turmeric and cook until fragrant, about 1 more minute. Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, 3 cups of the reserved cooking liquid and the spice bundle; simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes. Add the cauliflower and cook until slightly tender, 5 to 6 minutes (add more cooking liquid, if needed). Stir in the okra and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Discard the spice bundle. Stir in the lemon juice and cilantro and season with salt. Photograph by Marcus Nilsson;

Let's Get Cooking!

Sign up for the Recipe of the Day newsletter to receive editor-picked recipes,tips and videos delivered to your inbox daily. Privacy Policy

Thanks for subscribing to the Recipe of the Day newsletter. Check out all our other great newsletters from Easy Recipes, Healthy Eating Ideas and Chef Recipe Videos.

We're sorry, there was an error signing you up. Please try again later.

Advertisement

xchikaxchikax

It did take quite a long time to make, but the flavors developed really nicely and the fresh/whole herbs and spices are really key to the complex layers of flavor. You would think that the onion and garlic would be the primary flavors but the brightness of the lemon and ginger actually come through first followed by a surprising sweetness paired with the savoriness of the onion/garlic. <br /> <br />As I went along, I made a couple of changes to the recipe. I added a cup of plain yogurt towards the end to make it a little creamier since the sauce was more of a clear liquid. I also substituted carrots for okra because I can't stand the taste. Since okra is used as the thickening agent for the sauce, in a separate pan I made a roux with 6Tbsp butter and 6Tbsp flour and stirred in a half-cup of the reserve liquid and when that thickened, added that to the curry and simmered for an additional 5-6 minutes.

See All Reviews