Indian Chickpea Stew
This Indian-inspired chickpea stew boasts warming spices, hearty chickpeas, tender cabbage, and sweet carrots. Braised in the oven, this rich and wholesome stew is incredibly satisfying and perfect for a comforting plant-based meal.
Instructions
- 1
Roughly grind the whole spices. Add the green cardamom pods (6 whole), cloves (4 whole), cumin seeds (1 tsp), coriander seeds (1 tsp), and fennel seeds (1 tsp) (not the cinnamon sticks) to a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Coarsely grind (just a few pulses with an electric grinder) - you want some texture to remain. Remove the empty cardamom pod shells. Note: If you don’t have either of these tools, see the blog post section “Frequently Asked Questions”
- 2
Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.
- 3
Heat a Dutch oven or stove-to-oven braising pan over medium heat with grapeseed oil (1 tbsp). Once the oil is shimmering, add the roughly ground spices *and* the sticks (2 cinnamon). Sauté for 60 seconds or until very fragrant, tossing frequently to prevent burning.
- 4
Add the remaining grapeseed oil (2 tbsp) to the pan. Next, add the yellow onion (1 large), carrots (4 medium), and cabbage (0.5 medium). Season with kosher salt (0.5 tsp). Cook until the vegetables start to soften, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the cloves (4 garlic) and fresh ginger (2 inch), and cook for another 2 minutes.
- 5
Add the tomato paste (3 tbsp) and stir frequently for 2 minutes to coat everything. If things start to dry out or seem like they might burn, add a splash or two of water and scrape up the browned bits. Add in the Indian red chili powder (1.5 tsp), ground turmeric (1 tsp), and ground nutmeg (0.25 tsp), and stir frequently for 1 minute.
- 6
Deglaze the pan with the dry white wine (0.75 cup), scraping up the browned bits and fond from the bottom of the pan. Cook until the wine is mostly evaporated and the smell of alcohol has dissipated, about 2 minutes.
- 7
Pour in the vegetable broth (1.5 cup), chickpeas (2 cans), leaves (2 bay), golden raisins (0.33 cup), diced tomatoes (1 can), and kosher salt (1.5 tsp) and black pepper to taste. Stir well to combine and bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes, stir again, and then turn off the heat.
- 8
Put the lid on the pan, or if it doesn’t have a lid, cover tightly with foil. Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and braise for 1 hour, until the chickpeas and vegetables are soft. At the halfway mark, check to see if the liquid has evaporated somewhat. If so, add additional vegetable broth or water (about 0.25 cup).
- 9
Pour in the full-fat canned coconut milk (1 cup) and return the pan to the oven to braise for another 10 minutes. Take out of the oven and discard the leaves (2 bay) and sticks (2 cinnamon).
- 10
Stir in the garam masala (1 tsp), cilantro (0.75 cup), and a squeeze of [lemon juice]. Taste for seasonings, adding more salt or pepper as needed. If it's slightly too acidic, stir in organic cane sugar (1 tsp).
- 11
Serve warm with Indian flatbread or over a bed of rice. Dollop on some [coconut yogurt] before serving or serve on the side.
Nutrition Facts
Per portion