Ingredients
| Ingredient | How much |
|---|---|
| olive oil | 1 tablespoon |
| onion | 1 cup chopped (about 1 medium onion) |
| garlic | 3-4 large cloves minced or grated |
| mild yellow curry powder | 1 1/2 tablespoons |
| ground cumin | 1 teaspoon |
| sea salt | 1/2 teaspoon |
| cayenne | 1/4 teaspoon (or more if you like it hot!) |
| vegetable stock | 1/2 cup |
| plain, low sodium tomato sauce | 1 15 oz can (about 1 1/2 cups) |
| low sodium chickpeas | 1 19oz can (about 2 cups) |
| fresh cilantro | 1/4 cup, roughly chopped |
| lime juice | 1 tablespoon (freshly squeezed is best) |
| smooth, natural almond butter, at or close to room temperature | 1/4 cup |
| full fat coconut milk | 1/2 cup |
| sugar | 1 teaspoon |
| Salt and extra lime juice | to taste |
| Rice, potato wedges, etc | for serving |
InstructionsPermalink
- Heat oil in a dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, being sure not to brown, 4-5 minutes.
- Add garlic and all of the spices to the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until very fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Deglaze the pot with the vegetable stock, being sure to scrape all of the browned bits off the bottom, then add the tomato sauce, chickpeas, cilantro and lime juice, stirring until well incorporated.
- Bring tomato mixture to a simmer and cook 20-25 minutes until chickpeas and plump and tender.
- Remove from heat and stir in almond butter, coconut milk and sugar and continue stirring until smooth and streaks remain. Season with additional salt and lime juice to taste.
- Serve over brown basmati rice and top lots of fresh cilantro.
- Preparation time
- 10 min
- Cooking time
- 25 mins
Narrative
This tastes so much like butter chicken.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN BUTTER CHICKPEASPermalink
Hands down, my favourite part of this dish is the flavour! These Healthy Butter Chickpeas are beyond flavourful and all those lovely Indian spices come together so wonderfully, without being too spicy. (I can’t do that spicy heat – but if you can, add a little extra cayenne!) Here the combination of mild yellow curry powder and cumin pair perfectly together with a squeeze of lime and fresh cilantro.
My second favourite part of this dish is definitely the super unexpected and delicious secret ingredient – almond butter!
Sounds weird and maybe a liiiittle bit off, I know. But it works, I promise! It gives a super deep, rich flavour, especially if you use an almond butter made with roasted almonds and together with the full-fat coconut milk, the tomato-based sauce becomes so wonderfully thick and creamy.
You really can’t taste the almond butter at all (don’t worry!) but it lends a richness that you really can’t beat.
As for other tips and tricks for this recipe, I always use canned chickpeas that have been drained, rinsed really well and patted dry because that’s what is easy for me. You can definitely cook dried chickpeas for this recipe too, I preferred the convenience of canned. And to my curry dishes, I always add a little bit of sweetness to really make the flavours pop (something I think I learned Rachel Ray and The Pioneer Woman) – not too much, just a teaspoon. I use either unrefined cane sugar, honey or even maple syrup would work too.
This recipe is especially unbeatable when you serve a big scoop over brown rice (or try basmati) with lots of cilantro and an extra squeeze of lime.
Or my latest obsession – oven-baked potato wedges!! Best. Dinner. Ever.
MORE ABOUT THIS RECIPE FOR BUTTER CHICKPEAS WITH COCONUT MILKPermalink
I struggle with recipes like this one!
Here’s the thing…
One thing that makes me sweat, other than catching a serious spin class (which I have not done in far too long), is spicy food. I am perhaps a big whimp when it comes to spicy things in my mouth. My eyes water uncontrollably. My tongue and stomach feel like they’re on fire for days. And I go into an insane hot flash throughout the entire meal.
It’s quite the scene and I try to avoid it as much as I can.
So with that being said, you can imagine I’m often not that adventurous when it comes to different foods… and different foods that have a reputation for spicy.
The struggle is real sometimes.
But I realized a little while ago that that doesn’t mean I can’t still enjoy all the amazing flavours of all these different Asian-style foods. Instead, I decided to only make them myself so that way I can be sure to control the amount of spicy peppers and hot sauces that make their way inside my pot. (I also get to control the quality and amount of the other ingredients that are used too!)
So now I can enjoy all the Healthy Butter Chickpeas and Coconut Curries without having to worry about crying my eyes out or having a hot flash.
Best. Dinner. Ever.