Quick & Healthy Indian Chickpea Stew
By: Adelina
Published: Wednesday, July 14, 2010 - 12:19am

Ingredients




1 cup long-grain white rice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as safflower
1 medium onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 tablespoon curry powder, plus more for garnish
1 teaspoon fresh zested ginger
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cups water
2 ounces cans (15 each) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges for garnish
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt (optional)

Preparation

1 Cook rice according to package instructions; cover, and keep warm. 2 While rice is cooking, heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add onion and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Add curry powder and ginger; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. 3 Add tomato sauce, chickpeas, and 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in lime juice; season with salt and pepper. Serve stew with rice and yogurt, garnished with lime wedges and a pinch of curry.

About


I wanted to make something healthy, tasty,  quick, budget friendly, kid proof and vegetarian – that’s too much requirements when planning my menu for the week.  This recipe from  Martha Stewart‘s delivered what I wanted in all aspects.  I followed the recipe pretty close with some minor changes.
The description of the stew is as follows:
“A thick vegetarian stew made from pantry staples, such as rice, spices, and canned chickpeas, is enlivened with a bit of yogurt and lime. Curry powder, an Indian blend of spices, is a time saving source of layered flavor.”
In my version, I am using tomato paste, instead of tomato sauce.  I also used fresh ginger instead of ground ginger.  I prefer the fresh flavor more than the ground.  I am also using Madras curry, which can be found in Middle Eastern/Indian Grocery Stores.  Here is the link to the  madras curry used in this recipe.
The curry I bought was not too strong so the kids were fine eating it.  Not only did my kids eat it, but my neighbor’s 2 year old and 4 year old joined us for the eating feast as well.
It felt great sitting at the dinner table and not to worry about our kids not liking their food.

Comments:
Michael Hadden

This is an amazing dish! It's very low priced yet it can really feed a lot of people, i love the exotic flavors that come out of it and without having to use a huge variety of herbs and or spices.
This really does amaze me of just how easy it is to be able to create out of simple ingredients that live in your pantry, most of which just sit there as i hardly use them as main ingredients in most of my meals i make at home as i can hardly make enough without spending a lot of money when it comes to feeding for more than 1 or 2. Thank you very much this was very helpful and has saved me time and money.
Kind regards, Michael H.