Spinach and chickpea curry

Name: Spinach and chickpea curry
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 300g of brown rice, dried; 1 tbsp of rapeseed oil; 3 onions, finely sliced; 4 garlic cloves, crushed; 2 red peppers, diced; 400g of tinned chopped tomatoes; 400g of tinned chickpeas, (in water) drained; 250g of spinach; 1 stick of root ginger, peeled and finely chopped; 2 red chillies, finely chopped; 2 tsp cumin seeds; 2 tsp ground cumin; 2 tsp ground coriander; 1 tsp ground turmeric; 1 tsp salt; 1 bunch of fresh coriander; lemon, half; 4 large carrots, coarsely grated; lemon, half; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 tbsp of rapeseed oil; 2 tbsp of black mustard seeds; black pepper

by Victoria Glass

Item 1 of 1

Main
easy
4
30 minutes

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Make Victoria Glass' spinach and chickpea curry recipe for a healthy and delicious dinner, showing that you don't need a lot of fat and salt to make a tasty meal.

First published in 2015

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Cutting down on sodium, butter and processed meats doesn’t mean you have to cut down on flavour. By adding a sprinkle of spice, you can enjoy dishes with real depth of flavour without any unwanted hidden calories. This simple spinach and chickpea curry is quick to prepare, high in nutrients and low in cholesterol.

Chickpeas are rich in protein, iron (34% of daily recommended intake for 100g) and high in fibre, including soluble fibre, which can help to lower cholesterol. Vegetables should make up 33% of your diet and by eating this curry and carrot salad for supper you can tick off all of your 5-a-day in one meal and by choosing rapeseed over other oils, you can ensure you are ingesting Omega 3.

Brown rice makes the perfect accompaniment. It takes a little longer to cook than white rice, but the nutty flavour makes it worth the wait. It also happens to be an excellent source of fibre, as well as a good source of B vitamins (with the exception of B12) and selenium. A single portion (75g dried weight) contains 10% of the daily recommended intake of iron for men (6% for women).

This dish proved that it is quick and simple to make good heart healthy choices, without needing to compromise on flavour. You can cook this dish from scratch in half an hour and the quantities are easy to scale up or down

Ingredients

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Imperial

For the curry

300g of brown rice, dried
1 tbsp of rapeseed oil
3 onions, finely sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 red peppers, diced
400g of tinned chopped tomatoes
400g of tinned chickpeas, (in water) drained
250g of spinach
1 stick of root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 red chillies, finely chopped
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp salt
1 bunch of fresh coriander
lemon, half

For the carrot salad

4 large carrots, coarsely grated
lemon, half
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp of rapeseed oil
2 tbsp of black mustard seeds
black pepper

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Method

In a frying pan, toss the onions in the rapeseed oil until well coated and place over a medium heat. Cook until the onions become a deep brown colour. While you are waiting for the onions to cook, put the rice on to boil in a saucepan

Add the garlic, red pepper, ginger and chilli to the onions, reduce the temperature and continue to stir until the peppers have softened. You can add a splash of water to stop the vegetables from catching if you need to

Once the vegetables are soft, add the spices and salt and cook through for about a minute, stirring all the time. Pour in the tinned tomatoes and leave to thicken over a medium heat for a few minutes, before adding the chickpeas and spinach. Squeeze over the lemon juice and continue to simmer until your rice is tender

Drain the rice and add the fresh coriander to the curry at the last minute before serving

While you are waiting for your curry and rice to cook, make the aromatic carrot salad. Simply toss the grated carrot in the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. Wait until the mustard seeds begin to pop, and then pour them over the carrots. Spritz over the lemon juice and toss everything together

First published in 2015

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Victoria Glass

Victoria is a London-based food writer and recipe developer. She was the Roald Dahl Museum’s first ever Gastronomic Writer in Residence and has written six books, including her latest, Too Good To Waste.

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