The Best Chickpea Tikka Masala Curry

It has come to my attention from several people that despite making this dish over 15 times for all our friends and family, I have never posted the recipe. This is adapted from a chicken tikka masala, but believe me when I say this chickpea version beats the original – I know, because when we first started making it we were still eating meat.

It’s so full of flavour and is super easy to make. You basically add everything to a Dutch oven or cast iron casserole pot and leave it to simmer, either on the stove or over a fire, until the flavour develops and you have a trough of utter deliciousness to inhale. Job done.

Sorry to those of you who have waited impatiently for this one for months! Let me know how it goes when you make it.

Chickpea Tikka Masala Curry

Ingredients:

• 2 x can chickpeas, drained
• 400g chopped mushrooms (chop in quarters so they are nice and thick)
• Half a big bag of spinach (or as much as you want really!)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 25ml crushed garlic
• 25ml fresh ginger, finely chopped
• Olive oil for frying
• 1 can chopped tomatoes, pureed (or use bottled tomato puree)
• 75g tomato paste
• 1. 5 cups coconut cream
• 1 tsp garam masala*
• 1 tsp roasted masala
• 1 tsp normal masala
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1-2 tsp chilli powder (add this even if you don’t like spicy food as it’s important for flavour – simply adjust the amount according to taste. Start with 1/4 tsp and move up from there)
• 50ml ground nuts/nut flour (I use macadamia but almond works well too)
• Salt to taste
• 1-2 tsp coconut sugar (alternative: honey)
• Handful of chopped coriander leaves

Instructions:

1. Lightly fry the onion, garlic and ginger in olive oil in a cast iron pot on the stove or over the fire.
2. After 2 minutes, add the mushrooms and cook til browning but still firm.
3. Add all the other ingredients except for the salt, coconut sugar, chickpeas, spinach and coriander leaves. Simmer the sauce for around 30 minutes. While it is simmering, look at the sauce and taste it – colour and flavour are key. Make any of the following adjustments:
   Add salt if it needs more
   Make the sauce hotter by adding more chilli powder
   Balance the heat and saltiness with coconut sugar
   Make the sauce yellower with more turmeric or redder with more paprika
4. When the sauce is to your liking and has started to thicken, add the chickpeas and finally the spinach.
5. Take off the heat and stir in the coriander leaves.
6. Serve with rice, naan bread or homemade flatbreads – you can find my flatbread recipe here.
7. Enjoy and send me pics!