Pantry · Tested twice

Pantry Chickpea Curry

Name: Pantry Chickpea Curry
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 onion; 1 small piece fresh ginger; 2 (15-oz) cans chickpeas; 1 (14-oz) can full-fat coconut milk; 1 (14-oz) can diced tomatoes; 1 jar curry powder; 1 bag basmati rice; Cooking oil; Salt and black pepper; Garlic, if you have it

Two cans of chickpeas, a can of coconut milk, and a can of tomatoes do nearly all of the work. The only fresh things on the list are an onion and a piece of ginger.

5 minPrep

20 minCook

4Serves

7Items to buy

Method

Start the rice first, since it takes about as long as everything else combined.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large pan over medium. Cook the diced onion 5 minutes until soft, then add the grated ginger and garlic for 1 minute.
Add 2 tablespoons of curry powder and stir for 45 seconds, until it smells toasty. Ground spices need fat and heat to open up, but they burn fast, so keep them moving.
Pour in the canned tomatoes and cook 4 minutes, stirring, until the mixture darkens and thickens slightly.
Add the drained chickpeas and the coconut milk, bring to a simmer, and cook 8-10 minutes until the sauce coats a spoon.
Mash about a quarter of the chickpeas against the side of the pan to thicken the sauce naturally, season well, and serve over the rice.

If the store is out

Fresh ginger1 tsp ground ginger, added with the curry powder

Coconut milkEvaporated milk, or 1 cup broth plus 2 tbsp peanut butter

ChickpeasAny white bean — cannellini and butter beans both work

Curry powder2 tsp cumin plus 1 tsp turmeric plus a pinch of cayenne

The bit that matters

Mashing some of the chickpeas is what turns a thin, watery sauce into something that clings to rice. It costs nothing, needs no extra ingredient, and it is the single difference between this tasting homemade and tasting like a can.

*Approximately 470 calories per serving. Calories are an estimate from standard ingredient databases; actual values vary by brand and portion. See our disclaimer.