Tag: Curries

Creamy Chickpea Curry

For decades, my secret weapon for a quick, delicious vegetarian meal has been chickpea curry. Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are a type of legume that is widely cultivated for its edible seeds. They are one of the most popular and nutritious plant-based foods, commonly used in various cuisines worldwide. It’s perfect when I’m short on time but craving something hearty and flavorful.

Chickpea curry comes together with just a handful of basic spices and a splash of whipping cream for a luxuriously creamy texture, making it absolutely perfect to enjoy with fresh bread. You can either cook the chickpeas yourself or pick up a jar of ready-cooked chickpeas which can be ordered on amazon (known as Kichererbsen in German) or bought from the bigger supermarkets.

I always keep a stash of uncooked chickpeas ready to go. When I’m planning meals for the week, I soak them for a few hours and then use my amazing mini pressure cooker (available on amazon) to have them perfectly cooked in under 10 minutes.

Cooking Chickpeas

How to cook Chickpeas?

  1. Rinse and Soak:
    • In a large bowl, rinse the chickpeas in cold water.
    • Cover them with plenty of water. Ensure the water level is about 2-3 inches above the chickpeas as they will expand.
    • Soak for at least 8 hours or overnight
    • For quick method: bring chickpeas and water to a boil for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat, and let it sit for 1 hour.
  2. Drain:
    • Drain the soaked chickpeas
  3. Cook:
    • Place the chickpeas in a large pot or a pressure cooker.
    • Add water until it’s 2 inches above the level of chickpeas. Also, add 1 teaspoon of salt.
    • Cover the pressure cooker with the lid and pressure regulator.
    • Cook on high until you hear 3 whistling sounds.
    • Turn off the heat and set aside the pressure cooker until all the pressure has dissipated on its own.
    • If using a pot: Once boiling reduce heat to low, cover the pot and let the chickpeas simmer for about 1 hour, or until tender. Check them periodically and add more water if needed to keep the chickpeas submerged.
  4. Check for Doneness:
    • Taste for tenderness. They should be soft but not mushy. IF they are not done, continue simmering for 10-15 minutes.

Tips:

  • Storage:
    • After cooking, chickpeas can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

For more vegetarian recipes

Paneer Dry with Nando’s Sauce

Beetroot Veg Puffs

Baingan Barta – Eggplant recipe

Tomato Rice – Aromatic Rice

chickpea recipe

Creamy Chickpea Curry

Sherryl Andria
Discover the rich and creamy chickpea curry, infused with whipped cream, tender chickpeas with a touch of spice. A must-try for quick, delicious meals on busy days.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Soaking Time 8 hours
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Indian, south-indian
Servings 4
Calories 1063 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Pressure cooker optional

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup chickpeas or cooked chickpeas or garbanzo beans
  • 2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 medium onion thinly diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp chili powder as required
  • 1 tsp vegetable powder optional
  • 100 ml tomato paste or 2 large fresh tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 tbsp lime
  • salt as per taste
  • 150 ml whipping cream / Schlag sahne (as required)
  • 2 tbsp light soya sauce
  • 1 tsp brown sugar /maple syrup
  • Fresh coriander for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Heat the 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan over medium hear
  • Add the onions and saute until they are golden brown.
  • Add minced garlic and saute for a minute.

Add Spices

  • Add 1 tsp of garam masala, turmeric, coriander, chili powder and vegetable powder (if available) to the pan.
  • Stir well to combine and cook for 1-2 minutes, allowing the spices to release their flavors.

Add Tomato paste

  • Add the tomato paste and 2 tbsp lime juice for a touch of acidity. Stir and mix together.
  • If using fresh tomatoes, add it to the pan and cook for 5 minutes till they break down.
  • Pour in whipping cream and stir well.

Add Chickpeas

  • Add the cooked chickpeas to the pan and stir in to coat with the spice mixture.
  • Pour in soya sauce. Add sugar or maple syrup and salt to taste.
  • Bring the curry to a gentle simmer and let it cook till it comes to a boil. Stir occasionally.
  • Garnish the chickpea curry with fresh coriander.
  • Serve hot with your favorite flatbread, rice or naan.

Video

Keyword 30-Minute, Healthy, Quick, Vegetarian, Winter Recipe

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Mutton Curry in Pressure Cooker

The easy way I cook my mutton is using a pressure cooker. Its fast and time efficient.

Mutton curry recipe I prepared here is very basic and all you need to do is just grab a few Indian spices. I liked the idea of having a thick gravy as a dip so I prepared a paste of onions and tomatoes to increase the quantity of gravy.

 

More recipes on Mutton:

Soup of Mutton Bone-Marrow

Mutton Ghee Roast

 

Preparation time: 10 minutes (includes cooking)

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Serves: 2 – 4

Appliance used: Steam pressure cooker (see notes*)

 

Ingredients

Mutton meat – 500 g, add bones if you prefer

Onions – 1 large roughly chopped + 1 small thinly sliced (separated)

Garlic cloves – 2 large

Tomatoes – 2, roughly chopped

 

Spice paste or Masala:

Grated Coconut or coconut milk – 1/2 cup,

Turmeric – 1 tsp

Red dry chilies – 4

Fennel seeds – 1/4 tsp

Coriander seeds – 1 tbsp

Ginger or paste – 1 1/2 inch / 1 tbsp

Black peppercorns – 5

Cinnamon stick – 2 inch long

 

Directions

1. In a pressure cooker, add the washed mutton pieces, finely chopped onions, a tsp salt. Cover and cook for 6 -7 whistles. Turn off heat.

The meat needs to be soft, tender and not chewy.

Mutton meat

2. In the meantime, make a fine paste of the following:

Using a medium jar make a paste of onions with garlic and tomatoes. Blend them separately and transfer them into separate bowls.

Make the spice paste using the same blender by adding all the ingredients such as coconut, turmeric, fennel seeds,red chilies, coriander seeds, peppercorns, cinnamon stick and ginger paste.

Set it aside. Now all you have to do is start cooking while all the prep work is done.

3. Heat a deep wide container with 2 tbsp ghee. Add onion paste and fry for 2 minutes until the raw smell goes away.

Onion paste

Then, add the spice paste. Fry for 2-3 minutes and then mix reserved 1/4 cup water from the spice jar.

Do not add too much water, you can adjust the consistency later after adding the mutton.

Onion paste and masala

4. Pour the tomato puree with salt. Cook and simmer till it boils, check for salt.

mutton gravy

5. Once it has come to a boil add the mutton pieces along with its juices and left over mixture. Mix and adjust the consistency of thickness as required by adding water now if necessary.

Curry of Mutton

Cook for another 5-10 minutes on medium heat for the mutton to soak in the flavor of spices. Check salt. Turn off heat.

Serve it with plain bread or rice. You can accompany it with greens.

Mutton curry -bread-corn

 

 

Note:

* Pressure cooker I use for the last 3 years with specification:

Prestige Deluxe Plus Mini Induction Base Hard Anodized Pressure Handis, 4 Litres

Designed for both induction & gas stove cooking

Material: Hard anodised Aluminium

Colour: black

The link above is just for reference on its specifications and looks.Previously, I have used a mini pressure cooker similar to this one and have never had problems with it. Make sure you do not use it on very high heat without oil.

 

Stay Healthy!

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