Crowd Pleaser Curry | Recipe
It may not look very pretty, but it tastes like heaven
Without a doubt, this chickpea and spinach beauty is my go-to curry. There are a number of reasons for this – it’s simple to make, cheap, vegan, healthy, feeds a lot of people… but most of all it’s absolutely delicious.
If you’re lucky enough to count yourself as one of my friends, then you will almost definitely have tried this. (If not, then I’m sorry, we’re just not that close.)
I started making this while I was at university. I’m famously incapable of cooking for one, so I would always end up with about 10 portions of dinner. The spare would go to my housemates, or be saved for the next day’s (okay, week’s) lunch (or breakfast actually).
I think it’s a good idea to make more than you’re going to eat, then stick a load in the freezer for when you can’t be bothered to cook, but want a proper meal. This recipe is perfect for batch-cooking.
I genuinely have no idea how many people I should say that this serves, so I’m going to guess. Guessing is a bit of a theme in this recipe, as I do all the spicing by eye. However, this is so easy to adjust, as the base ingredients are in a 1:1 ratio, so scale up/down as you wish.
Spices can seem expensive, as they tend to be massively marked up in supermarkets. You’re much better off buying them in bigger quantities (I mostly get mine from Rajah, which you can get in Sainsbury’s and some other supermarkets, but also on Amazon), it’s better value.
My top tip for this curry is to take your time. Although you can make it quite quickly, it tastes a LOT better the longer you let it simmer. This way, all the spices meld together and create a much smoother, complete taste.
Happy cooking!
Crowd Pleaser Curry Recipe: Serves 3-4
Very delicious, very nutritious
Ingredients
Oil for cooking – I usually use either olive or coconut, it’s up to you
1 x 400g tin chickpeas
1 x 400g tin tomatoes
1 x 400g tin coconut milk
1 bag spinach (or use frozen if you’d prefer)
1 onion (any colour)
2 cloves garlic (or as many as you’d like)
1 chilli (fresh or dried, adjust for desired spice level)
1/2 tsp yellow mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground ginger (or use 1/2 inch piece of fresh, grated, ginger)
1 tsp garam masala
Find useful conversion tables for cooking here.
Method
Toast the mustard and cumin seeds in a dry, hot pan
When the seeds start to pop and release their oils (you’ll be able to smell them), turn the pan off, if you’re not ready to use it
Finely chop your onions, garlic and chilli
Sweat them in a little oil, over a medium heat
Once they have softened a bit, add all your spices and turn the heat up – cook for a further few minutes
Add in your tinned ingredients, rinse the tomato tins with water and add that, too, to make the most of them and provide some extra liquid
Now, you can more or less leave it to do its thing… turn the heat down and make sure to check on it and stir every so often
I would say I usually simmer for about 40 mins, until it has reached the consistency I want
Add the fresh spinach, let it wilt a little, then serve!
Enjoy with your choice of side (think rice, naan, roti…)
One of the best things about this curry is its adaptability – I have made the same base with cauliflower, aubergine, sweet potato, normal potato, Quorn pieces, to name a few.
What would you add? Let me know!