Chickpea and Cauliflower Curry

This vegetarian dish is perfect for a main meal or lunch, or served as a side dish. The mix of spices and chilli powder give this meal a slightly spicy kick.

Ingredients

1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
3cm piece fresh root ginger
1 medium-sized cauliflower
400g can chickpeas
½ reduced-salt vegetable stock cube
225ml boiling water
1 x 15ml spoon vegetable oil
1 x 5ml spoon ground cumin
1 x 5ml spoon turmeric
1 x 5ml spoon ground coriander
Pinch chilli powder
100ml low-fat coconut milk
Small handful (about 10g) fresh coriander
Black pepper (optional)

Equipment

Chopping board
Sharp knife
Small bowl
Garlic press
Metal teaspoon
Grater
Can opener
Sieve
Small jug
Kettle
Measuring jug
Wooden spoon
or plastic spatula
Saucepan or deep frying
pan with lid
Measuring spoons
Pan stand
Tasting spoon

Instructions

1. Peel and finely chop the onion and set aside in a small bowl.
2. Peel and press the garlic.
3. Peel the ginger with a teaspoon and grate.
4. Cut the cauliflower into small florets, removing the tough stalks.
5. Open the can of chickpeas and drain, reserving the liquid in a small jug.
6. Measure 225ml of boiling water into the measuring jug. Crumble in the ½ stock cube and stir until dissolved.
7. Heat the oil in the saucepan over a medium heat, add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook until soft but not brown (about 3 minutes).
8. Stir in the spices and cook for a further minute.
9. Add the liquid from the chickpeas plus the vegetable stock and coconut milk.
10. Heat gently and stir until combined, being careful not to boil it as it will split.
11. Add the cauliflower, cover and cook gently for 15 minutes.
12. Wash, pat dry and finely chop the coriander with a sharp knife.
13. Remove the lid, stir in the chickpeas and cook for a further 5 minutes until the liquid has reduced and thickened.
14. Add the chopped coriander and black pepper to taste (if using).

Skills used include:
Measuring, peeling, chopping, crushing, grating, boiling/simmering and frying.

Top Tips

• Make sure you check and stir the cauliflower every 5 minutes to prevent it sticking to the bottom of the pan.
• Transfer the unused coconut milk to a small jug, cover and store in the fridge for up to 2 days. You could use it to make the Thai Green Curry or the Seven Vegetable Curry recipes which are available on our website.

Something to try next time

• You could make the recipe using 25g of creamed coconut and 100ml of warm water instead of coconut milk, just cut and grate the creamed coconut you need and store the remainder of the block in the fridge for another time
• Increase the amount of chilli powder for a hotter curry, but be careful not to add too much!

Prepare now, eat later

• Measure the spices in advance and keep covered until needed.
• Cauliflower cooks quickly and if overcooked it can be very soft and watery. If you have any leftovers, cool as quickly as possible then store in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Reheat until just simmering.
• You could cook the curry to the end of step 10 then cool the curry as quickly as possible, chill in the fridge and finish the recipe the following day.