Recipes

Vegan friendly Chickpea and Sweet Potato Tikka Masala

This Indian inspired dish is the perfect comfort food especially as we head into Winter. And the best part is, it’s vegan friendly and full of fibre.

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ large sweet potato
1 medium onion
½ tsp cumin seeds
2 garlic cloves
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
½ tablespoon ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
½ tsp cayenne pepper
Pinch of salt
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree
½ can of coconut milk
For the rice:
200g basmati rice
250 ml vegetable stock
Salt
Pinch of saffron
½ tsp turmeric
Squeeze of lemon juice
Salt

Preparation time: 15  minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes

Method

1.     Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onions, cumin seeds and sweet potato and cook until the onions are brown around the edges and soft.
2.     Add the ginger and garlic and cook for a further minute.
3.     Now add the garam masala, turmeric and cayenne pepper and cook for another 2 minutes.
4.     Add the tomatoes and cook for a further few minutes, allowing the tomatoes to break down slightly. Be sure to give the pan a good mix.
5.     Add the tomato puree, coconut milk and chickpeas and stir the pot together. Bring the mix to a gentle simmer, giving it an occasional stir.
6.     Cover the pan with a lid and allow the mix to simmer over a low heat for approximately 25 minutes. Remember to give it an occasional stir and a taste. You may need to adjust the seasoning to your taste.
7.     While the curry is simmering, you can prepare your rice.
8.     Pour the vegetable stock into a medium pan (you’ll need a tight-fitting lid for the pan, too).
9.     Place the pan on a high heat and bring to the boil. As it is coming to the boil add the turmeric and saffron to the stock along with a squeeze of lemon juice.
10.  Now add the rice to the pan and a pinch of salt. Stir the rice and bring to the boil.
11.  Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid. Cook until the liquid has been absorbed by the rice, usually 10-15 minutes. You can test by putting a fork in the rice and pushing it aside and looking for any leftover liquid. If there is liquid, the rice needs to cook for a bit longer.
12.  Once the liquid has gone, turn the heat off but leave the pan on the burner with the lid on for a further 5-10 minutes. The rice should stay warm like this for up to an hour.
13.  Now, the curry and rice are both ready, you can transfer them to your food pot ready for your lunch.

Tip

·       If you don’t have time to make the rice, you can use ready prepared rice, or you can use plain rice (saffron can be expensive)
·       You can add more vegetables, too. Cauliflower also works well in this recipe.
·       If you want to make a bigger serving, you could double up the quantity

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