Chickpea & Spinach Curry

This Chickpea and Spinach curry or dahl has so much going for it! Firstly, it's a delicious tasting curry with over half the ingredients available as Fairtrade. Secondly, it's healthy and low calorie at just 560 calories per portion. Thirdly, it's very easy and quick to make and is a great 'storecupboard staple'. I know plenty of meat eaters who rate this chickpea and lentil curry with spinach as one of their favourites. Chickpeas and lentils are traditional curry ingredients and are full of protein. The creamy sauce is made with coconut milk and tomatoes. I love adding fresh spinach to my curries. It not only adds some lovely colour, but is nutritious and needs no additional cooking. Finally stirring through lemon juice at the end really lifts the flavours. You might also like my Aubergine and Chickpea curry recipe

A Fairtrade Curry

I highlight Fairtrade ingredients in all my recipes. This Lentil and Chickpea curry is a particularly great Fairtrade recipe as over half the ingredients can be bought Fairtrade. You can now buy Fairtrade olive oil, chickpeas, red lentils, rice, coconut milk, curry powder and even lemons. Fairtrade is a direct way to help and support some of the world's poorest farmers. For just a few pence more, can make a real difference in their lives. Climate Justice is a big part of what Fairtrade stands for. Millions of farmers across the world who produce our food and clothes are on the frontline of the climate emergency. Check out my most popular Fairtrade recipes.

Other Fairtrade recipes you might like

How to make it

This chickpea curry is very easy to make and I've written the recipe with busy people in mind. For this reason, I use a curry paste, rather than combining together individual spices. The secret to using a paste is to add it near the beginning at the frying stage. This helps release the flavours. You can now also buy Fairtrade curry powder. If you use a curry powder rather than a paste, as a general rule, use 1 teaspoon of curry powder for every tablespoon of curry paste in the recipe. All curry powders are different strengths so you might want to start off with a smaller amount and add more if you need to. You can use full fat coconut milk or reduced fat in this recipe. Just be aware that your sauce may be slightly runnier when using a reduced fat milk as it is thinner.

• 

• 

• 

• 

1. Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the onion and garlic for 2 minutes over a medium heat.
2. Stir in the curry paste or curry powder and fry for 1 minute. This is important to release the flavours. Keep stirring so it doesn't burn.
3. Drain and rinse the chickpeas, then add with the dried red lentils, coconut milk and chopped tomatoes. Bring to a boil then simmer for 30 minutes until the lentils are soft, stirring occasionally. Add a little water if necessary. Alternatively, you can cook it in the oven at 180C / 360F / gas mark 4 for 30 minutes.
4. Stir in the spinach one handful at a time until it has wilted slightly. Add the lemon juice and stir through the curry and serve.

People often ask...

What to serve with Chickpea Curry

I like to serve this chickpea and lentil curry with rice or naan bread or both. The most common rice to serve with a curry is a basmati rice. Basmati is a long grain rice and the grains stay separated after cooking making it nice and fluffy. You could also use a more fragrant rice such as Jasmine rice. For a homemade 'Naan' bread, you might like to try my simple Flatbread recipe. Made with just 3 ingredients, this is a very simple bread you can make at home and it only takes 10 minutes.

How to Store

This curry can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days. It can also be frozen and is best used within 6 months.

More Vegan Recipes