Chickpea Curry Recipe | Coconut Chickpea Curry
User Reviews
4.7
100 reviews
Excellent
-
Prep Time
9 hrs
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Cook Time
30 mins
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Total Time
9 hrs 30 mins
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Servings
4
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Calories
343 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Indian
Chickpea Curry Recipe | Coconut Chickpea Curry
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This coconut chickpea curry features tender chickpeas cooked with a fragrant blend of toasted whole spices, fresh grated coconut, and aromatics. The richly spiced curry paste, including cinnamon, fennel, cumin, coriander seeds, and red chilies, infuses the dish with warmth and complexity. Adding curry leaves and ginger-garlic paste imparts signature Indian flavors, balanced by tangy tomatoes and fresh coriander garnish. It’s a hearty, mildly creamy curry that pairs well with rice or flatbreads.
Description
Starting with dried chickpeas soaked overnight and pressure-cooked until tender, this curry builds flavor through toasting whole spices such as cinnamon, fennel seeds, cumin, coriander seeds, red chilies, cloves, cardamom, black peppercorns, and optionally stone flower. Fresh grated coconut is included in the spice mix to add natural sweetness and texture. Mustard seeds and bay leaf are tempered in oil before sautéing finely chopped onions and ginger-garlic paste until softened. Turmeric and optional asafoetida add earthiness and fragrance, while curry leaves enhance the savory profile.
Chopped tomatoes and a slit green chili are added along with water to create a simmering sauce. Cooked chickpeas join the curry, allowing flavors to meld and the sauce to thicken slightly. Garnishing with fresh coriander leaves provides a bright finish. This dish balances spiced warmth with the richness of coconut and tender chickpeas, resulting in a satisfying vegetarian entrée.
Suitable for making ahead, leftovers keep well refrigerated for a couple of days. The recipe offers optional ingredient swaps like canned chickpeas, powdered spices for heat control, and frozen shredded coconut. Curry leaves are recommended for authentic flavor but can be replaced with dried ones.
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Ingredients
For soaking & pressure cooking chickpeas
- 1 cup chickpeas kabuli chana or safed chana) - 180 grams, dried white
- 3 cups water - for soaking
- 3 cups water - for pressure cooking
- ½ teaspoon salt
For toasting or roasting spices
- ½ cup coconut tightly-packed, fresh grated
- 1 inch cinnamon
- ½ tablespoon fennel seeds
- ½ tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 2 red chili or 3 to 4 chillies - would make the dish spicy. remove the seeds, dry
- 2 to 3 cloves
- 1 black cardamom
- 2 green cardamom
- 4 to 5 black peppercorns
- 1 small piece stone flower (dagad phool, pathar phool), optional
Other ingredients to make curry
- 3 tablespoons neutral cooking oil generic cooking oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 tej patta (Indian bay leaf), small-sized
- ⅓ cup onion finely chopped, 50 grams or 1 medium-sized
- 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste or 2 to 3 small to medium, peeled garlic cloves and ½ inch peeled ginger crushed or made into a paste in mortar-pestle
- ¼ or ½ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing), optional
- 10 to 12 curry leaves
- ½ cup tomato finely chopped, 80 grams or 1 medium-sized
- 1 cup water or add as required
- 1 green chilli - slit
- 2 tablespoons Coriander leaves (cilantro) - chopped, for garnish
- salt as required
Instructions
Cooking chickpeas
- First rinse the dried chickpeas for a couple of times in water. Then soak the chickpeas in 3 cups of water overnight or for 8 to 9 hours.
- Drain the water. Rinse the chickpeas again for a couple of times.
- Again drain all the water and add the soaked chickpeas in a 3 litre stovetop pressure cooker.
- Add ½ teaspoon salt and 3 cups water. Stir to mix.
- Pressure cook the chickpeas for 20 to 22 minutes or 18 to 20 whistles on medium to high heat.
- If cooking chickpeas in a pot, then add about 3.5 to 4 cups water and salt to the chickpeas. Cover and cook the chickpeas till they softened.
Making curry paste
- When the chickpeas are cooking, you can roast or toast the spices. Gather all the spices you will need and set them aside.
- In a pan or skillet, on a low heat dry roast the spices except coconut - listed under the "toasting or roasting the spices" heading above, till they become fragrant. Take care not to burn them, so roast them on low heat and stir often.Remember to roast all spices except coconut.
- Once the spices smell fragrant, add the fresh grated coconut to the spices and begin to roast or toast on low heat.Note you could use either fresh grated coconut or frozen shredded coconut and even ⅓ cup of unsweetened shredded or desiccated coconut.
- Stir continuously while roasting the coconut, so that there is uniform and even cooking.
- Roast till the coconut become golden. Remove the pan from the stovetop allow the this mixture to cool at room temperature.
- Once the coconut-spice mixture is cooled, add them to a high-speed blender or mixer-grinder. Make a note to remove the husks from the black cardamom and just add its seeds in the blender or grinder.
- Add ⅔ to ¾ cup water and grind to a smooth and fine consistency making sure the curry paste does not have any small chunks or bits of the spices and coconut.
Making chickpea curry
- Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a pan. Keep heat to a low or medium-low.
- Add the mustard seeds and allow them to crackle. Then add tejpatta and stir.
- Next add the finely chopped onions. Stir and sauté on low to medium heat till the onions turn translucent and soften.
- Add ginger-garlic paste, turmeric power, asafoetida and curry leaves.
- Stir and sauté for a few seconds on low heat till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.
- Add the chopped tomatoes. Sauté on a low to medium heat, for about 2 to 3 minutes till the tomatoes soften.
- Add the ground coconut and spices curry paste. Stir very well to combine.
- Then add the drained and cooked chickpeas. Stir again well and saute for a minute.
- Now add 1 cup of water and 1 or 2 slit green chilies.
- Season with salt as required.
- Give a boil first and then simmer the curry for 10 to 15 minutes on a low to medium heat or till the gravy thickens a bit and you see some oil floating on top.
- Mash a few chickpeas with the sides of the spoon to thicken the gravy. Check the seasonings and add more salt if you prefer.
- Switch off the heat. Lastly add chopped coriander leaves. Stir well.
- Serve Chickpea Curry hot with chapati, poori, bread or steamed rice accompanied with lemon wedges and thin onion slices or a side of vegetable salad.
Notes
- Canned chickpeas can replace dried; add them when cooking the curry paste and simmer until thickened.
- Stone flower is optional; omit if unavailable without major impact.
- Asafoetida is optional and can be omitted for gluten-free versions.
- Use fresh coconut for best flavor; frozen or shredded unsweetened coconut can substitute.
- Curry leaves substantially enhance flavor; dried curry leaves can be used if fresh are unavailable.
- Black mustard seeds can be substituted with small yellow mustard seeds.
- Adjust red chili quantity according to desired spice level; mild or medium spicy chillies are recommended.
- If chickpeas are not soaked overnight, soak in hot water for 2 hours to reduce cooking time.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated for 1 to 2 days.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Calories
343kcal
(17%)
Carbohydrates
38g
(13%)
Protein
11g
(22%)
Fat
18g
(28%)
Saturated Fat
4g
(20%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
2g
(12%)
Monounsaturated Fat
10g
(50%)
Sodium
650mg
(27%)
Potassium
612mg
(13%)
Fiber
12g
(48%)
Sugar
8g
(16%)
Vitamin A
377IU
(8%)
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)
0.3mg
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
0.1mg
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
30mg
Vitamin B6
0.3mg
Vitamin C
58mg
(64%)
Vitamin E
5mg
Vitamin K
8µg
Calcium
114mg
(11%)
Vitamin B9 (Folate)
581µg
Iron
5mg
(28%)
Magnesium
83mg
(21%)
Phosphorus
223mg
Zinc
2mg
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 4Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 343 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 343kcal | 17% |
| Carbohydrates | 38g | 13% |
| Protein | 11g | 22% |
| Fat | 18g | 28% |
| Saturated Fat | 4g | 20% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 2g | 12% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 10g | 50% |
| Sodium | 650mg | 27% |
| Potassium | 612mg | 13% |
| Fiber | 12g | 48% |
| Sugar | 8g | 16% |
| Vitamin A | 377IU | 8% |
| Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) | 0.3mg | |
| Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) | 0.1mg | |
| Vitamin B3 (Niacin) | 30mg | |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.3mg | |
| Vitamin C | 58mg | 64% |
| Vitamin E | 5mg | |
| Vitamin K | 8µg | |
| Calcium | 114mg | 11% |
| Vitamin B9 (Folate) | 581µg | |
| Iron | 5mg | 28% |
| Magnesium | 83mg | 21% |
| Phosphorus | 223mg | |
| Zinc | 2mg |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.7
100 reviews
Excellent
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