Chickpea Curry
An end of term, pantry raid curry built from whatever spices and canned goods survived the semester. No grocery run required.
It's end of term, finals are piling up, and there's no point grocery shopping when I'll be home for two weeks and anything fresh will just spoil. So this is a pantry raid, put together from whatever spices and canned goods survived the semester. It isn't a traditional curry and doesn't try to be, just something borrowed from w2kitchen's idea of not letting the shopping stop you from cooking. On spices, I stick with ground rather than whole. Whole spices add more depth and tolerate longer toasting, but the extra cleanup isn't worth it for a weeknight at home. The spice load carries the dish either way.
Ingredients
Aromatics
- Onions (thinly sliced)2 pcs
- Garlic cloves (finely minced)5 cloves
- Fresh ginger (finely minced)2.5 cm
- Olive oil1 tbsp
- Salt1 generous pinch
Spice mix
- Curry powder3 tsp
- Ground turmeric1 tsp
- Garlic powder1 tsp
- Onion powder1 tsp
- Garam masala1 tsp
- Paprika1 tsp
- Ground cumin1 tsp
- Ground coriander1 tsp
- Sugar1 tsp
- Black pepper to taste
- Bay leaves3 pcs
The pot
- Canned chickpeas (drained)1 can
- Tomato paste1 tsp
- Water or chicken stock to cover
- Soy sauce to taste
To serve
- Naan or Chinese scallion pancakes to serve
- Cucumber (sliced)1 pc
Method
01Thinly slice the onions. Two onions give the final pot a sweeter base and help clear out the pantry.
02Finely mince the garlic and ginger by hand.
03Add the onions to a small pot with the olive oil and a generous pinch of salt. Cover and cook over medium heat so they sweat without burning while you prep everything else.
The salt draws out water and the lid traps steam. The onions cook themselves while you work on the rest.
04While the onions sweat, assemble the spice mix: curry powder, turmeric, garlic powder, onion powder, garam masala, paprika, cumin, coriander, and sugar, plus black pepper to taste. Set aside with the bay leaves.
05Once the onions have softened and turned translucent, add the garlic, ginger, spice mix, bay leaves, and tomato paste. Stir to combine, kill the heat, cover, and let it rest for 5 minutes.
Residual heat is enough to bloom the spices and tomato paste without scorching them, which happens quickly when you are multitasking.
06Add the drained chickpeas and enough water or chicken stock to cover. Bring to a gentle boil, then drop to low and simmer for 1 hour.
07Season with soy sauce to taste. Serve with warm naan or Chinese scallion pancakes, sliced cucumber, and a drizzle of olive oil.
Notes
- • For spices, the Suraj 400g bags are a solid pick. The international aisle usually has something equivalent for about a quarter of the name brand price, and they last a long time.
- • Whole spices add more depth and tolerate longer toasting, but the extra cleanup isn't worth it for a weeknight at home.
- • Chicken stock adds another layer if you have it sitting around, but water works fine. The spice load carries the dish.
- • Not a traditional curry, and not trying to be.