I used to be really intimidated by Indian food. The flavors are deep and complex and the recipes often call for ingredients that are foreign to even a foodie like me. Despite this, I’m just so drawn in by the flavors, aromas and colors. I’ve been experimenting with Indian flavors a lot over the past few months and have noticed that as long as you have a jar of curry powder and a jar of garam masala, you can fake some pretty good Indian food. By no means is it authentic but it’s similar and it still tastes incredible.
These curried chick peas are like a pared down version of Chana Masala. It’s super quick and makes a great side dish or vegetarian main dish. I’d love to try them tucked into a pita pocket, maybe with some cheese and fresh cilantro… or perhaps with a poached egg on top! YUM. So versatile.
I used hot curry powder and I still didn’t find this recipe to be too spicy. If you want a little heat, you can always throw in some cayenne pepper or dice up a hot pepper and saute it with the onions and garlic in the first step.
Quick Curried Chickpeas
Quick Curried Chick Peas
Servings 6Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.22)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.37)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.14)
- 2 15oz. can chickpeas, drained ($1.32)
- 1 20oz. can tomato sauce ($0.52)
- 1 cup water ($0.00)
- 1 Tbsp curry powder ($0.15)
- 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro ($0.44)
Instructions
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Cook the onion and garlic in a large pot with olive oil over medium heat until softened (3-5 minutes).
- Drain the canned chick peas and add to the pot. Also add the tomato sauce, water and curry powder. Stir the pot until everything is evenly mixed. Bring the mixture up to a simmer over medium heat.
- While the chick peas are simmering, rinse the cilantro and pull the leaves from the stems. Roughly chop the leaves and add them to the pot. Give everything a stir and continue to simmer until the sauce has reduced to a thick consistency (about 20 minutes total). Stir the pot every few minutes to prevent the sauce from burning and sticking to the bottom.
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Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Step By Step Photos
Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Cook them in a large pot with olive oil over medium heat until soft.
Add the drained chick peas, tomato sauce, curry powder and water.
Stir the mixture well and allow it to come up to a simmer.
Rinse the fresh cilantro and shake it dry. Pull the leaves from the stems and give them a rough chop.
Add the chopped cilantro and give it a stir. Continue to simmer the pot until the sauce has reduced and thickened. Stir the pot every few minutes as it simmers to prevent scorching.
When the sauce is thick enough not to run back when you run a large spoon through it, the dish is done. Serve hot!
Hello I love your website and recipes, would you ever list the Calories per serving?? that would be very helpful to me! :)
I started cooking only about 3 months ago (all processed and fast foods before then) and this recipe was EASY, INEXPENSIVE, and DELICIOUS!!! This is probably the tastiest thing I have ever made. Thank you so much for sharing!! Also the pictures really help!!
I bet that would be delicious! Give it a shot and let me know how it turns out :D
Do you think pureeing this ingredients into a humus would work? My boys are not crazy about peas or beans but they like humus. I will be trying this recipe over the weekend and cannot wait.
Thanks so much! And I am loving your blog- I want to try all of the recipes!
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I’m a college student who doesn’t have a lot of time for meal preparation, but I make this recipe endlessly. So easy and so tasty. Always in my fridge. Perfect with rice. I love this go-to meal! Thank you for vicariously feeding me throughout my college career haha i’ll forever be a religious follower of the BB
Just made this fifteen minutes ago – it was off the CHAIN. I replaced the tomato sauce with enchilada sauce and added in a little Sriracha for that extra spice… SOOOO good and I would have never even thought to try chickpeas if it weren’t for your blog! Thank you!
My boyfriend and I love this. We’ve made it a few times now, and last time we even doubled the recipe and froze some. We make ours with cooked dried beans for even cheaper awesomeness.
This was soooo awesome! Thanks so much for the great recipe!
Ahh this was SOOO good. Thanks so much for the recipe!
This looks excellent and easy! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
don’t use garlic. Garlic is rarely used in north/east indian cooking. use ginger and mince it finely or even blend it before browning it with the onions in the first step.
I just tried this recipe and I am amazed how good it came out. Quick, cheap, tasty and good for you, how can you beat that?
I also fried my tomato a little bit before I mixed it in with everything.
No, no! You don’t know what you are missing out if you don’t use the right mix of spices :) You should be able to get ‘chana masala powder’ at Indian grocery store. Use that instead of the curry powder.
Also, try to boil the chick peas before hand with little bit of baking soda. It makes it soft and puffy. Also, you can use the water from that during the actual cooking of the dish.
One tip about garam masala. If it is in powder form then typically use it towards the end of the cooking. A dash of the masala and cook covered for 2 minutes. However, I always prefer whole garam masala (it’s a combintion of multiple herbs and spices) and add them to the oil at the start of the cooking.
Misa – Yep, you’re on the right track! Try just a half cup of water next time and you can also try increasing the heat. There’s a good chance that my flame was just burning hotter than yours so it reduced faster. :)