This chickpea stew with coconut milk is a satisfying and nutritious vegan dish that’s easy to make and packed with flavour. The combination of creamy coconut milk and fragrant spices creates a comforting and aromatic base for the hearty ingredients.
A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned to you that vegetarian or vegan meals in my kitchen are the real challenge. My Fussy Easter is not a fan of meals without meat and creating a recipe without animal protein is a big task. Like really big.
Secondly, it’s not the recipe itself that’s the challenge, but the recipe variety. Soups create absolute magic in my house, but how many times a week you can make the same dish? Also, we all know that curries are the perfect vegetarian meal. But again, can you eat them every single week? I can’t. I need variety and excitement in my weekly menu.
This chickpea stew with coconut milk is my magic recipe. It’s that perfect balance between a cosy and satisfying meal. It’s easy to make and needs just a few staple ingredients. All the magic is hidden in the coconut milk… this ingredient gives all the excitement to this meal and adds a creamy richness and subtle sweetness to the chickpea stew.
Ingredients for Chickpea Stew with Coconut Milk
You can probably easily find most of these ingredients in your kitchen cupboard. But just in case, before you make this dish, review the full ingredients list:
- Tinned chickpeas – it’s no surprise, but this is the essential ingredient for this meal. Chickpeas are very filling and perfectly replace animal protein. Before you add the chickpeas to the stew, make sure you drain them and rinse them.
- Coconut milk – this ingredient adds a wonderful creaminess and richness.
- Cherry tomatoes – I love adding juicy and sweet tomatoes to my stews. But feel free to swap them for tinned tomatoes as well.
- Vegetables (garlic, chilli pepper, leek, carrots) – you know me, if I have a chance to hide some veggies in my meal – I’ll do it. Just by adding some basic ingredients to your stew, you can truly enrich your meal.
- Spices (cumin, turmeric, sweet paprika, ginger) – these four spices create magic! They’ll bring curry notes but won’t overpower the dish (I love buying spices from this shop).
- Lemon juice – if you love cooking, you’ll know every meal needs just a touch of acid. In this meal, I used lemon to enhance the flavours.
- Fresh parsley – brightens the dish and adds some freshness.
- Addition staple ingredients (olive oil, salt and pepper).
How to Make Delicious Chickpea Stew with Coconut Milk
It’s almost impossible to mess up stews. The idea is you add all the ingredients, caramelise them, add the liquid and let the stew simmer on a low heat for 30-40 minutes to enrich all the flavours.
This dish is exactly the same, but I’d like to share some tips to create the best meal ever.
- Add a touch of acidity to your stew – lemon juice performs magic in this dish. It elevates the flavour and combines all the ingredients together.
- Sauté the ingredients before adding new products. It’s very easy for ingredients to get lost in a stew. But by sautéing them, you can make sure the veggies develop all the flavours.
- Cook the spices – nobody likes raw spices. They don’t have body and feel like uncooked flour. Just by heating them for a minute, you’ll create the perfect base for the stew.
- Keep an eye on your stew – on my recipe, I’ve said you need to simmer the chickpea stew for 30-40 minutes on a low heat. But always keep an eye on it to make sure the stew isn’t too thick or too liquidly. Always adapt the simmer time to your preference.
Check out other delicious stews:
Bean Stew with Cheese Topping
Cauliflower Stew with Chorizo Sausage
Recipe
Ingredients
2 garlic cloves
1 chilli pepper
½ leek
1 carrot
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon ginger
200g cherry tomatoes
2 tins of chickpeas
1 tin of coconut milk
½ lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Fresh parsley
Method
- Finely chop the garlic, chilli pepper, leek and carrots. Gently fry them in a saucepan with a little drizzle of olive oil.
- Add the spices (cumin, turmeric, paprika and ginger), then the cherry tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes until they get soft.
- Add the drained chickpeas and coconut milk. Simmer the stew for 30-40 minutes until it gets thick, and the liquid evaporates.
- Finish the dish with lemon juice, season to your liking and add the fresh parsley.
