Chickpea Coconut Stew
If I have coconut milk, canned tomatoes, and chickpeas, I know that I’m only minutes away from a lush and hearty stew. Something magical happens when coconut milk and tomatoes combine. The acidity and brightness of the tomatoes contrasts so well with the rich and creamy character of the coconut milk. This pairing seasons the chickpeas and whatever other vegetables you choose to cook, making them extra flavorful. It’s a high impact, low effort kind of dish.
Chickpea Coconut Stew
serves 4-6
coconut oil, avocado oil, or olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
sea salt
6 garlic cloves, minced
chile flakes or other spices of choice (see takeaways)
4 cups (about 3 15 oz/425 g cans) cooked chickpeas
1 14 oz/397 g can crushed tomatoes
1 13.5 oz/383 g can full fat coconut milk
additional vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potato, winter squash, zucchini, potato, green beans, greens, etc. (optional, see takeaways), chopped into bite-sized pieces
juice from 1 lime
Heat a soup pot over medium heat, and add enough oil to coat the bottom. Add the onion and a pinch of salt, saute for 7-10 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and chile flakes or other spices to taste, saute for about 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, coconut milk, additional vegetables, if using, and more salt to taste. Add enough water to create a chunky stew consistency, 1/4-1 cup, or as needed. Bring to a simmer. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes if not adding any additional vegetables. If adding vegetables, simmer until the longest cooking one is soft and cooked through, times will vary. Turn off the heat and add the lime juice. Taste for salt and adjust if needed.
Serve the stew as is or over rice/with bread, topped with more lime juice, fresh herbs, or with tender greens like spinach wilted in.
Intuitive Cooking Takeaways
Look at this ‘recipe’ as a blank slate and adapt it to what you have on hand, your mood, or the amount of time you have to cook:
- Different spices will take the flavor in all kinds of different directions. Adding only chile flakes will give you a simple, spicy, coconut-y stew. The addition of curry (or a combination of at least some of these: coriander, cumin, turmeric, black pepper, chili powder, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom) will yield a cozy, chickpea curry. Adding garam masala will take the stew more towards chana masala, but with coconut milk. Try adding smoked and sweet paprika for some pleasant, smoky notes. Add fresh grated ginger or turmeric for a warming effect.
- You can keep this stew very simple, with chickpeas only, or add all kinds of vegetables, depending on what you have on hand. Try adding broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potato, winter squash, zucchini, potato, green beans, greens, etc. If all your vegetables are of a similar consistency and cooking time, you can throw them in together and cook the stew until the veggies are cooked through. If you’re using vegetables of drastically different tenderness levels, for example potatoes and broccoli, I suggest spacing them out. Add the potatoes first, then add the broccoli at approximately the last 10-15 minutes of the cooking time. That way, the potatoes will get to cook, and the broccoli won’t overcook. If using tender greens like spinach, wilt them in at the very end. If using tougher greens like kale or chard, allow them about 10 minutes of cooking time.