Easy Coconut Curry Stew featuring Canned Chickpeas
This extremely simple coconut curry stew makes quite the versatile canvas to use up extra ingredients you may have lying around in your pantry or fridge like old cans of chickpeas! This stew is always a crowd-pleasing family favorite that you can eat as-is or serve over steamed rice or quinoa.
The Versatility of Curry
If you’re like me, and you have random ingredients sitting on your pantry shelves for, like, ever; (like canned chickpeas!) let me introduce you to the perfect way to use them up and save money too!
Basic coconut curry stew is a staple East Indian (and Southeast Asian) flavor combo that can accommodate almost ANY type of vegetable or meat. The spicy flavors of curry mellowed with the sweet richness of coconut milk provide a rich canvas to anything you throw into them.
I love using coconut curry for “Meatless Mondays” because my kids love it and I can save money by throwing in whatever I need to use up. And this time I had some canned chickpeas gathering dust in my pantry, so into my coconut curry stew they went! And they were delicious!
If you don’t keep curry powder and coconut milk stocked in your pantry, well you should. You can throw so much into this combo- carrots, potatoes, sweet potato, squash, carrots, onion, lentils, quinoa, tomato, bell pepper, cauliflower, broccoli, couscous, etc. etc. You get my point right??? And I didn’t even mention meats!
Also, you can get creative and add a few extra spices along with the curry, such as Garam Masala, cumin, cinnamon, fresh ginger, or crushed red pepper flakes for some spicy-spicy goodness.
Garbanzo Beans vs Chickpeas
Are garbanzo beans the same as Chickpeas?? YEP they are totally the same thing! They are, in fact, beans that are highly nutritious with lots of vitamins and fiber. Hummus is also made of chickpeas, which is why eating hummus is so darn healthy and delicious.
Air Fryer Chickpeas
Looking for more ideas on what to do with chickpeas? Frying up crispy crunchy chickpeas for a snack in the air fryer has gone totally viral! It’s not hard to see why. Besides being delicious they are a super healthy snack that is devoured by all. Here are a couple of links to recipes I love if you have an air fryer at home:
Ultra Crispy Air Fryer Chickpeas by Sweet Peas and Saffron
Air Fryer Chickpeas by Budget Bytes
Coconut Curry Stew with Chickpeas- helpful tips!
For this curry stew, cook the onion to your liking first in some butter or oil, then add all the vegetables and sprinkle them with the curry and any other seasonings. Toast the curry and vegetables for about a minute, stirring vigorously, to infuse and magnify the flavor of the curry into your stew BEFORE you add any liquids.
If you’d like to thicken this stew, here’s my EZ trick- stir in some instant potato flakes! Leave your immersion blender in the drawer for now. (I mean, you can us it if you want, I can’t stop you) or if you don’t have any potato flakes handy you can blend some of the stew in a blender and then pour it back in.
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Coconut Curry Stew with Chickpeas
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
This Coconut Curry Stew with Chickpeas is a great way to use up pantry staples you probably already have such as potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, coconut milk, and curry powder. Have a can of chickpeas that needs to be eaten? Add them to this stew and they taste great!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 tablespoon yellow curry powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon garam masala spice (optional)
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped
- 2–3 potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 2 (15 oz) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 (14 oz) can full-fat coconut milk
- 4 cups chicken broth
- lime wedges and chopped fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- In a large pot set over medium heat, melt the butter. Add in chopped onion, and cook, stirring often, until the onion becomes translucent and is browning on the edges.
- Add in the garlic, curry powder, cinnamon, cumin, and garam masala and cook, stirring constantly, for about 30 seconds.
- Stir in the carrots, potatoes, and chickpeas and stir constantly for about 1 minute, then pour in the coconut milk and broth. Scrape the bottom of the pot to lose any food particles stuck to the bottom.
- Bring the pot to a boil, then cover and simmer on low for 15 to 20 minutes. When potatoes and carrots are soft, remove from heat.
- Off heat, sprinkle individual servings with fresh cilantro, and serve with lime wedges.
Notes
To thicken I recommend stirring some instant potato flakes to your liking, or you can use an immersion blender or countertop blender to blend a portion of the stew and stir it back in.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 30
- Category: dinner
- Method: Cook
- Cuisine: East Indian
