Despite being a nation of hummus obsessives, the humble chickpea often seems to get forgotten when it comes to stews and curries. On their own or added into meat stews, they're a great way to bulk out a dish, as well as adding in another layer of texture and taste. You can soak dried chickpeas for this recipe, or just use the ready-to-go tins.
What's the A to V?
Chickpeas are a great source of manganese, molybdenum and sulphur, and the spinach in this dish will provide vitamin K, folate and vitamin C.
Ingredients (serves 2 to 3):
1 x 400g tin of chickpeas (drained)
1 red onion, halved and then sliced into half moons
1 small aubergine, chopped into 1 cm cubes
2 garlic cloves, chopped into rounds
1 tsp of turmeric
1 tsp of cumin
2 chillis, crumbled
3 cardamon pods (chop them open, and just use the seeds to avoid an unpleasant mouthful of cardamon)
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 x 400g tin of tomatoes
1 tbsp of tomato puree
3 generous handfuls of spinach
Optional:
5 dried curry leaves
1 tsp of tamarind paste
Any other spices you fancy. Chopped fresh ginger, coriander seeds, and cloves all work nicely.
Coriander or mint to garnish
Method
Heat the olive oil with the chilli in a pan. When hot, add in your garlic and onion and cook for around 3-5 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent.
Add in the aubergine, and your dry spices, and give everything a good stir. Cook for a further 10 minutes on medium to high heat - stirring often - until the aubergine has softened and browned.
Add your drained chickpeas, tinned tomato, tomato puree and stir. Season with salt and pepper. Turn the heat down, and simmer (covered) for 10 to 15 minutes.
Taste to see if any further seasoning is required and add in your spinach. You may need to add a splash of water at this stage if your tomato has reduced too much. Cook uncovered for a further 5 minutes.
Serve with a sprinkling of coriander or mint, a side of rice, couscous or baked potato, and a dollop of yogurt and chutney if that floats your boat.