Recipe by Alison Roman for the NY Times on March 26, 2019
Rating
4.88 stars (16 reviews)
Ingredients
¼ cup unrefined coconut oil (avocado or olive oil, plus more for serving)
4 garlic cloves (chopped)
1 large yellow onion (chopped)
1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ teaspoons ground turmeric (plus more for serving)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (plus more for serving)
3 cups cooked chickpeas or 2 (15-ounce cans, drained and rinsed)
2 15-ounce cans full-fat coconut milk*
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 bunch of organic Swiss chard
1 cup of fresh mint and/or cilantro leaves (for serving)
full-fat greek yogurt or dairy-free yogurt (for serving (optional))
toasted pita (lavash or other flatbread, for serving (optional))
Steps
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic, onion and ginger. Season with a big pinch of sea salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until onion is tender and translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Add turmeric, red-pepper flakes and chickpeas, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, so the chickpeas sizzle and fry a bit in the spices and oil, until they’ve started to break down and get a little browned and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove about a cup of chickpeas and set aside for garnish.
Using a wooden spoon or spatula, further crush the remaining chickpeas slightly to release their starchy insides which will thicken the stew. Add the coconut milk and stock to the pot, and season with another pinch of salt and pepper (go easy on the salt if your stock is salted.) Bring to a simmer, scraping up any bits that have formed on the bottom of the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the stew has thickened, 30 to 35 minutes. If after 30 to 35 minutes you want the stew a bit thicker, keep simmering until you've reached your desired consistency.
Stir in the greens and cook until wilted and softened, about 3 to 7 minutes, depending on what you’re using. (Swiss chard and spinach will wilt and soften much faster than kale or collard greens.) Taste the stew for salt and pepper before you serve and add more if you think it needs it.
Divide among bowls and serve with desired condiments on the side (yogurt, herbs, pita or lavash.)
Reviews
Orkideh Sayari on 2023-10-28 (5 stars): Making this soup for the second time with your veggie substitutions. So delicious! Thanks, Pamela.
Lisa on 2022-12-15 (5 stars): This is phenomenal! I don’t like chickpeas and barely like turmeric, but I made a large batch of this for someone and ended up keeping a quart of it for myself! Made exactly as directed and it is SO. GOOD.
Josette on 2022-05-14 (5 stars): Thank-you so much Pamela, for this beautiful recipe. I had been making this for the past 18months since I was advised by my Lung specialist to change my diet to a plant base one. This was the first Plant base / vegan meal I made, and your recipes are tasty and helped me adapt to this huge change in my life. I add a sweet potato to this recipe to help thicken the stew. I also add fresh baby spinach in stead of Kale. Once again many thanks for sharing your much loved recipes.
LKR on 2022-01-09 (5 stars): I have made this twice and it is delicious. I like to use one can of light coconut milk and one small can of coconut cream. For garnish, I just stick with a mix of mint and cilantro. This is a keeper for sure!
