chickpea and spinach curry

This quick vegan chickpea and spinach curry is deliciously creamy and absolutely bursting with spicy flavour! And it’s quick, and I mean really quick, to make. You can have it on the table in 20 minutes flat, and if you’re serving basmati rice with it, you can count that in the 20 minutes, too!

Everyone loves a good curry, but they are time-consuming to make if you’re looking for authenticity. Sometimes, though, you want that curry fast, without all the hassle of doing everything exactly right. You can have this curry on the table in less time than it takes to order out – at a fraction of the cost!

This creamy vegan chickpea and spinach curry isn’t just quick; it’s delicious, too! Better than some stuff I’ve eaten in Indian restaurants. The spices are already ground, thus saving time on grinding. Cumin, coriander, turmeric, ginger, garam masala, asafoetida (hing), and chili, are all spices that you probably already have in your pantry. If you haven’t, maybe you should invest in some because you’ll fall in love with this creamy chickpea and spinach curry! You can find the spices at most supermarkets. If you have trouble sourcing garam masala and asafoetida, try an Asian supermarket – your best bet is Indian. Consider asafoetida (hing) optional, and if you don’t have the other spices, you could substitute them with ready-mixed curry powder.

It takes just a few minutes to soften the onion, blanch the spinach, and soak the rice. The rest is so quick and easy – just follow the tips and instructions below, and you’ll have a delicious curry ready in no time!

Tips

Organisation is key here. The reason why I only wrote the total time in the recipe card below is because while one thing is cooking, you can be prepping something else.

• Start by quickly rinsing the basmati rice and then leave it to soak for 5 minutes in cold water.
• In the meantime, prep the onions and garlic. While they are sautéing, wash and chop the spinach.
• Put the kettle on to boil – you’ll need this for the rice and the spinach. As soon as it boils, put the rice on to cook and boil the spinach for 5 minutes.
• While the rice is cooking, add the spices to the onion, stir and sauté for a minute. Next, add the tomato sauce and continue to cook.
• Drain the spinach. Add the remaining ingredients to the curry sauce, including the spinach. Heat the curry up. In the meantime, the rice will be cooked. Ta-da – meal ready!

How to make quick vegan chickpea and spinach curry

Ingredients

Spinach

I used fresh Italian erbette (perpetual spinach) for this recipe because it’s more readily available here, and I grow it in my garden. Erbette is actually a member of the chard family, but milder, with the same earthy flavour but less bitterness than its other chard relatives. By all means, use standard fresh spinach or frozen spinach instead if you want.

Onion

Yellow onion is best for this recipe because it has a stronger flavour than red or white onions. Use whatever you have. The onion provides texture and body to the sauce as well as flavour. Chop it very finely so that it softens quickly – crunchy chunks of onion aren’t really desirable in a curry.

Garlic

A clove of garlic enhances the flavour. Mince it or reduce it to a paste.

Oil

Coconut oil is a great choice for curry. It has a high smoke point and a rich aroma and flavour. Olive oil is also a good option.

Spices

Use already ground spices for this curry if you want to make it fast. As far as the flavour profile is concerned, the best spices to use are cumin, coriander, turmeric, ginger, garam masala, paprika, asafoetida (also known as hing), and chili (I used cayenne pepper). Obviously, you’ll get better results with individual spices rather than a ready-mixed curry powder. But if that’s all you have, put a couple of teaspoons in and then taste the curry sauce – you can always add more.

When I’m in a hurry, I don’t even bother to measure the spices; I just shake them in. Be warned, though, that shaking spices vertically over a hot pan lets the steam enter the bottle, causing the spice to go hard. I know this, but I still do it – I’m just too lazy to carefully sprinkle the right amount of spice in a teaspoon beforehand. I try to keep the bottle almost horizontal so the steam doesn’t get in. See the recipe card below for the approximate quantities of each spice. You can be quite generous with the amounts of cumin, coriander and turmeric; use about half the amount of the other spices and only a pinch of hing because it has a strong, pungent flavour.

Chickpeas

A standard 400 g tin of chickpeas is the quickest option for this vegan chickpea and spinach curry. I jar my own chickpeas from dried, so I use those. Chickpeas provide protein and fibre, and they’re a great plant-based alternative to meat.

Chopped tomatoes

I use a 400 g tin of Mutti polpa (pulp) for this recipe. If your chopped tomatoes are chunky, blend them. Chunks of tomato take quite a while to cook down, so if you blend them first, your sauce will be nice and smooth.

Coconut milk

You’ll need unsweetened cooking coconut milk for this recipe, usually sold in a tin or carton. Tins are the most convenient because they contain exactly 400 g, the amount you’ll need for this quick vegan chickpea and spinach curry.

Seasoning

Round the seasoning off with unrefined sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and hot chili pepper to your taste. If using standard table salt, I recommend reducing the amount.

Method

For step-by-step instructions with photos, see the recipe card below.

• If using fresh spinach, wash it and chop it coarsely. Plunge the spinach into boiling water and cook it briefly. Put the stalks in first and cook for 2 minutes, then add the leaves and cook for another 3 minutes. Strain and set aside.
  If using frozen spinach, get it out of the freezer and allow it to thaw a bit while you do the next steps.
• In the meantime, put the oil, chopped onion, and minced garlic in a pan. Sauté over medium heat with a lid on for about 5 minutes until soft and translucent.
• Add all the spices and stir. Cook for another minute.
• Add the tomato sauce and cook for 5 minutes with the lid on.
• Remove the lid. Add the chickpeas, salt, coconut milk and spinach. Mix well and heat the curry up.
• At this stage, you can serve it if you want. Or let it simmer on very low heat without the lid for another 5 minutes, and then serve.

What to eat with chickpea and spinach curry

The best accompaniment for this quick vegan chickpea and spinach curry recipe is white basmati rice, which cooks in just 10 minutes. Naan bread, chapatis or roti are also great if you prefer Indian bread to rice.

How to garnish and serve quick vegan chickpea and spinach curry

If you’re in a hurry, you probably don’t give a rat’s ass about the garnish or how the dish is presented. But just in case you do, you can either serve it as in the photo below or make a ring of rice with the curry in the middle. Garnish with chopped fresh green coriander (cilantro) leaf and serve hot or warm.

How to store chickpea and spinach curry

Store any leftover curry in an airtight container in the fridge, where it will keep for 3 – 4 days. Leftover rice must be kept in the fridge and eaten within a day or two.

Can you freeze it?

Yes, you can. It’s best frozen without the rice. Rice doesn’t freeze well. Put the curry in an airtight container suitable for freezing and place it in the freezer, where it will keep for at least 3 months.

I hope you enjoy this quick, creamy vegan chickpea and spinach curry! If you do, let me know in the comments below! I’d love to hear from you!

You might also enjoy these other popular Indian recipes!

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