Chickpea Curry

Ingredients

• Serves 4 as a main course
• 3 to 4 tablespoons ghee, colza oil or another neutral vegetable oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 4 cm (1-inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 green chillis, (Slender green “bird” chillis or the chilli of your choice –the amount to taste) seeds removed and roughly chopped
• Sea Salt
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 400 g (14 ounces) canned whole tomatoes (Italian brand cherry tomatoes if you can find them)
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 cup full-fat coconut milk (unsweetened! for cooking, not for pina coladas)
• 2 x 400 g (14 to15 ounces) of canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• A large handful of baby spinach, kale or other leafy green

Instructions

1. Put the roughly chopped garlic, ginger and green chillis in a blender. Add just enough water, a tablespoon or so, to work the vegetables into a thick paste.
2. Put 2 tablespoons of oil into a large pan over medium heat, and when hot, add the onions and a pinch of salt, cook for 10 to 12 minutes, until they soften and are beginning to brown. (if you find your onions are sticking or browning to quickly, add a bit more oil and turn down the heat). Add the ginger, garlic, chilli pepper paste and cook for 60 seconds or until fragrant, keep stirring the mix so nothing sticks and burns on the bottom of the pan. Add the tomato puree, stir to coat the other ingredients and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the ground cumin, turmeric, garam masala and ¾ teaspoon of salt. Cook for 30 seconds until toasted and fragrant.
3. Add the canned tomatoes to the pan. Press down on the whole tomatoes with the back of your spoon to crush and release their juices. Take the empty tomato can and fill it 3/4's the way up with water and add that to the pan as well. Stir everything together, cover with a lid and gently simmer for 15 minutes until the mixture has thickened. Taste for seasoning.
4. Add the coconut milk and continue to simmer 5 minutes. Toss in the chickpeas and fold them into the sauce then add the spinach. You will need to press down on the spinach to get it all in the pot. Lift and stir to coat it with the hot sauce. After a minute or so, it will begin to wilt and become tender and mix more easily with the other ingredients . Continue cooking 5 minutes then remove from heat. (If at any point you feel the sauce is too dry, add a bit more water.)
5. Traditionally the curry would be served with chapatis or basmati rice but feel to serve it with another starch – quinoa or a crusty loaf of bread.