4-5 servings; 20 min preparation; 25 min cooking time.

Today I wanted something warm and comforting with a little pinch of spice, so I decided to make curry. And because I rarely stick to the common way, I made it with my own spin. So here we go with my version of South Indian curry, but this time with chickpeas. This makes it suitable for vegetarians and for those of us, who believe in meatless Mondays.

Making a curry is time-consuming, but it is totally worth it. You can add any spices you like and use as much as heat as you can handle. If you make it for your children, just reduce the amount of curry paste and there you go you have a delicious meal for the whole family.

Ingredients

• 400 g chickpeas, canned or soaked overnight
• 1 cucumber without the seeds, chopped
• 1 mango, chopped
• 5 big tomatoes, chopped
• 1 onion, minced
• 3 tsp mild red curry paste (or make your own; check the ingredients below)
• 1 piece lemon grass or 1/2 ts lemon grass powder
• 150 ml coconut milk
• 1/2 tsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp mild olive oil
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 red chilli pepper, minced fine (optional)

For the curry paste (optional)

• 4 shallots
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2×2 cm piece of fresh ginger root
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp laos
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds powder
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin powder
• 1/3 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper

Preparation

Put all ingredients for the curry paste in a blender and blend until smooth.

Heat the olive oil in a pan over a medium heat. When it’s warm, fry the chopped onion until it gets soft. Add the curry paste and stir for a couple of minutes. Cut the cucumber in half and remove the seeds, the chop it in small pieces. Chop the tomatoes in small pieces. 

If you are using fresh chickpeas, put them in water overnight. Drain the water from the chickpeas and add them to the curry paste in the pan. Add the coconut milk, cucumber and tomatoes. Add the lemon grass. Stir until the chickpeas become to get soft. Then add the chopped mango and minced fine cilantro. Cook for another 5 min. At the very end add the lime juice. Serve with basmati rice. Enjoy!