Sweet potato chickpea curry - Delicious, healthy chickpeas and sweet potatoes in a curry is the perfect side dish for your lunch and dinner. Spicy, slightly sweet, and aromatic curry bursting with mouthwatering flavors.
Hey friends, it's officially spring here. However, we welcomed the first few days of spring with heavy rains and chilling temperatures. I hope the weather will get warmer very soon so we can enjoy the spring blooms, crisp mornings, and our short walk in the evenings. At the moment, I'm totally enjoying the occasional sunshine peeking through my windows.
So, to celebrate spring, I've a vibrant dish for you today. Sweet potato chickpea curry. A beautiful curry bursting with real veggie goodness. The sweet sweet potatoes, nutritious chickpeas and aromatic sauce - all beautifully combined together to bring you a dish that's aesthetic as well as delicious.
This curry is not a traditional recipe, but it's a family favorite. I always try to use seasonal ingredients in my recipes, and obviously, sweet potatoes neatly arranged on the veggie aisle of the grocery stores never fails to beckon my attention, especially when they're in season. So, this recipe actually evolved from an idea to include them in my everyday menu.
Even though this sweet potato chickpea curry is not a classic dish, the lip-smacking sauce is anchored in tradition and features the age-old Indian spices in an elegant way. And I love it so much.
There are a few steps of preparation involved in this recipe. Fresh ginger garlic paste, onion paste, and a spice mix that's going to make this curry super awesome. Ok, let's start cooking.
Step one - Make ginger garlic paste. I know, store-bought pastes are the easiest way to go, but trust me, fresh paste makes the whole curry extra delicious. To make this paste, grind together ginger and garlic to form a smooth paste. You can do this a day ahead, and store in the refrigerator.
Step two - Make onion paste. This onion paste is going to make the sauce rich and thick. Onions are grind to a smooth paste, and add a little water if needed.
Step three - Spice mix. You'll need to dry roast (with zero oil) all the whole spices, and then grind to make to make spice powder. Now combine this spice mix with rest of ground turmeric, garam masala and red chili powder.
Step four - Let's make the sweet potato chickpea curry. Start with sautéing some bay leaves and cloves in oil. Cook onion paste for a few minutes, and then fry ginger garlic paste until it's aromatic. Tomato paste and tomatoes makes the sauce rich and thick. Cook sweet potatoes with a little water, and add canned chickpeas.
Again, you can use dried or canned chickpeas in this recipe. Check out the "notes" section of the recipe to learn how to cook dried chickpeas. Next up, scatter over coriander (cilantro) leaves, and cook for few minutes.
Just like any curry, you can adjust the amount of heat in this recipe. Add more or less red chili powder depending on your taste.
And finally, serve this super delicious sweet potato chickpea curry with your favorite roti or rice.
More Indian Curries:
- Cauliflower and Potato Curry
- Eggplant Coconut Curry or Paal Curry
- Lentils Kale Cauliflower Curry
- Onion Curry
- Palak Paneer or Spinach Paneer Curry
- Rajma Masala (Kidney Beans Curry)
- Spinach Yogurt Curry
Sweet Potato Chickpea Curry | Video
Ingredients
Ginger garlic paste:
- 2 cm fresh ginger diced
- 5 garlic cloves diced
- Water
Onion paste:
- 1 large red or brown onions chopped
- Water
Spice mix:
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 3 teaspoon coriander seeds
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric turmeric powder
- 3 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
Sweet potato chickpea curry:
- 3 tablespoon oil
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 5 cloves
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tomato diced or 2 tablespoon canned diced tomatoes
- 2 and ½ cups sweet potatoes cubed
- 2 x 240 g canned chickpeas drained and rinsed (see notes)
- ¼ cup chopped coriander cilantro leaves
- Water
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Ginger garlic paste:
- Place ginger and garlic in the small bowl of a food processor. Add enough water to make a coarse paste. Set aside.
Onion paste:
- Place onion with enough water in a food processor. Grind to make smooth paste. Set aside.
Spice mix:
- Place a small frying pan over low heat. Add cumin seeds and coriander seeds. Roast, stirring continuously, for 1-2 minutes or until they start to change color. Remove from heat. Cool. Grind to a fine powder.
- Add spice powder to a bowl. Stir in ground turmeric, garam masala and red chili powder. Set aside.
Sweet potato chickpea curry:
- Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté bay leaves and cloves for 1-2 minutes. Add onion paste. Sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add ginger garlic paste. Sauté for 2 minutes or until aromatic. Stir in spice mix. Stir fry for 1 minute.
- Add tomato paste and diced tomatoes. Sauté for 1-2 minutes or until the tomatoes start to break down. Stir in sweet potatoes. Season with salt. Add enough water to cover the sweet potatoes. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Stir in cooked chickpeas and coriander (cilantro) leaves. Cover and cook for 3 minutes.
- Garnish with more coriander (cilantro) leaves if you like. Serve warm.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Colette Z says
Easy to make and delicious! I loved how blending the onions, ginger, and garlic in the food processor created a tasty sauce without the chunks of the vegetables! I will definitely be experimenting with that technique more in the future!