Afghan Chickpea Curry with Sweet Potato, Spinach and Peas
Think silky chickpeas, chunks of soft sweet potatoes, vibrant, green spinach and peas, all swathed in a rich, red lentil thickened sauce infused with classic Afghan spices, drizzled with yoghurt and finished with chopped, fresh coriander. You can eat this curry simply as it is or you can mop up the wonderful sauce with fresh flat breads or serve it over rice.
Serves 2 – 4 depending on whether you are serving it as is or with additional rice and/or bread.
Ingredients
Curry:
- 25g ghee, unsalted butter or olive oil
- 1 cinnamon stick (or use ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder and add later with the other spices.)
- 150g/1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 100g/1 carrot, washed, trimmed and chopped. No need to peel.
- 2 bay leaves, ideally fresh.
- 20g/5 plump cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped (I use a mini food processor.)
- 20g fresh ginger, finely chopped. No need to peel. (I use a mini food processor.)
- spice mix (see below)
- 80g/½ cup uncooked dried split red lentils, rinsed.
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt, or more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 500ml – 650ml vegetable stock
- 400g can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- large pinch bicarbonate of soda (optional – the bicarbonate of soda helps to soften the chickpeas. You cannot taste it. Omit it if you prefer the chickpeas with more texture.)
- 150g peeled sweet potato, chopped into small squares. (Or replace with butternut squash or extra carrots)
- 100g fresh baby spinach, roughly shredded (Or replace with kale – this will take longer to cook. Around 5 – 8 minutes.)
- 100g frozen peas (You could also use frozen petit pois or sweetcorn kernels)
Spice mix:
- 2 teaspoons coriander powder – can be replaced with garam masala or curry powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin powder – can be replaced with garam masala or curry powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder – can be replaced with ⅛ teaspoon imitation saffron powder or ¼ teaspoon ginger powder
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder – can be replaced with all spice or mixed spice
- ⅛ teaspoon powdered cloves – can be replaced with all spice or mixed spice
To serve:
- plain or coconut yoghurt
- chopped coriander
- basmati rice
- flatbreads
Instructions
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Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
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Heat the ghee/butter/oil in a cast iron casserole over a moderately high heat and cook the cinnamon stick for 1 minute. Move it around in the pan as it cooks.
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Reduce the heat to moderate and add the onion and carrot. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring from time to time, until softened and lightly caramelised.
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Add the bay leaves, chopped garlic and ginger and cook for a further minute, until aromatic.
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Stir in the spices and cook, stirring, until aromatic – around 20 – 30 seconds.
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Pour in 500ml of stock and tip in the lentils, salt and pepper. Stir well to mix. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and leave to cook on a low heat for 15 minutes, by which time the lentils should be very soft and broken down.
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Next, add the drained chickpeas, bicarbonate of soda and the chopped sweet potatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook, with the lid on, for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for a further 15 minutes, or until everything is soft and cooked through. You may need to add a little extra stock. I normally use around 600ml. Alternatively, if there is too much liquid, cook quickly to reduce.
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Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaves before stirring in the shredded spinach and frozen peas. Cook for 1 – 2 minutes, or until the spinach has wilted and the peas are very hot.
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Serve drizzled with plain or coconut yoghurt and sprinkled with chopped, fresh coriander. Delicious served as is or with some cooked basmati rice on the side and/or some fresh, warm flatbreads to mop up the delicious sauce.
Recipe Notes
Equipment:
- kitchen scales, measuring jug and spoons
- chopping board and knife
- mini food processor
- large cast iron pan or saucepan
Where is this recipe from?
This recipe is adapted from a wonderful dish from Recipe Tin Eats called Melting Afghan Chickpea Curry. I have made a few adaptations to the original partly because I needed to reduce the quantities but also because I wanted to pack it with vegetables and make it more of a complete meal right there in the pan. I am not claiming that this is now a classic Afghan dish but I certainly hope that I haven’t distorted the integrity of it too much. The spices in this dish, have all been proportionately reduced, in line with the original recipe, and the substitutions suggested for the spices are those recommended by Nagi.
If you haven’t come across Recipe Tin Eats before, I highly recommend you take a look. It is an incredible site with a wealth of fabulous and authentic recipes, all clearly explained with wonderful photography and videos.
Lentil, Pulse and Vegetable Curry/Stew – Core Recipe.
This recipe also follows the quantities for my Lentil, Pulse and Vegetable Curry/Stew – Core Recipe. This is a guide recipe which I use when creating vegetarian and vegan stews; it gives me some reference points but allows me to be creative with my spices, and other ingredients, or simply use up what is lurking at the bottom of my fridge. If you are looking for further inspiration, please take a look here.