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!
Very good. Followed directions but added cayenne pepper since I didn’t have spicy curry. Very good and something I think I can build on as I learn to cook at 40. My family is grateful but I think I need to introduce them to curry based dishes slowly.
I just wish I had made the Naan first! I plan on making a bunch of that and freezing them for lunch, etc…I have always loved Indian food and it is great to have a simple dish to start with.
I just made this, very yummy. I think I could have gone with less water; my sauce was still a bit runny but I didn’t want to overcook it because I’m freezing it. I went with someone’s suggestion to squeeze lemon over it and it did brighten up the flavours:) I also love having some single serve containers going in the freezer!
This looks SO good! And very healthy, too. I’ll try it this week.
It’s Sunday night and I’m feeling particularly lazy, but needed to make something warm and comfy to bring to work for lunch tomorrow. This recipe is easy peasy – I halved it, based on what I have on hand – and it was literally on the stove in less than 5 minutes. My only concern is that there will be none left tomorrow because I keep eating a spoonful every few minutes when I stir it. Delicious!
Quick question..
If I made a bigger batch of this (and managed to NOT eat it all directly from the pot), could it be frozen in individual servings?
Yes, absolutely! This freezes beautifully. :)
I love this recipe!!! It’s delicious! Thanks!!!
Yummy- I added a bit more tomato sauce, curry and some brown sugar. Good to add to an Indian night :)
This has become a go to meal in our home. It may very well be my 2 year old’s favourite dish!
Hi. If were to use dried chick peas how nany cups should I soak overnight?
Hmm, maybe about 1.5 cups? I’m not exactly sure of the conversion though.
One cup to 1 1/3 cups of dry chick peas is roughly equivalent to two 15 oz. cans of chick peas.
This was great! I made it with the creamed spinach, naan, and (not) butter chicken. Delicious. Today, I lightly mashed the leftover chickpeas, found an easy samosa/sambusa dough, and made samosas. DELICIOUS!
Made this since it used stuff I already had, and wow! I’m a self-admitted spice wimp but this was just hot enough for me to handle but still taste good. Also I love chickpeas so I had to stop myself from eating all of them before I threw them into the pan!
Just made this recipe for a quick lunch. Used coconut milk instead of water, included some other indian spices, and added some frozen peas I had kicking around. Came together super quickly with stuff I already had on hand, and we’ll enjoy leftovers tomorrow too. Amazing!
The coconut milk suggestion was great! I decided to use a whole can (instead of just 1 cup) and, since that meant extra liquid, I threw in some whole wheat coucous about halfway through the simmering process and made it a super great stew.
I’ve got this on the stove right now and it smells AH-MAZING. I’ve done similar recipes before but they were so much more involved. This is simple, and if you’re lazy or crunched for time, the pre-chopped frozen onions, pre-minced garlic and pre-minced cilantro in the tubes is all available to make it even faster. It might not be quite as cheap but to still get a meal for the night for less than $10 and it feeds two? I’m IN. :-D
Have I told you this is one of my favorite quick recipes? Because it is. There’s always a can of chickpeas and tomatos in my pantry. Thank you for making sure I don’t starve when I lack ingredients, leftovers, or energy to make something complicated.
Wow. I have it on the stove right now. It’s not even done and I’m in love!
Good going! Just one idea: fry the spices in the oil for two minutes. It REALLY helps in bringing out the flavor. I might also substitute the olive oil for canola oil, since I find that works better in Indian cooking (at least, the way my Indian mom makes it!)