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Curry Chickpea Un-Chicken Salad – Healthy, Plant-Based, Oil-Free, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free Vegan Easy Recipe from Plants-Rule

There’s nothing quite as satisfying as a warm, curry chickpea stew. This one-pot plant-based dinner is full of soothing Indian spices. A simple, yet delicious, dinner for a chilly night.

Oil-Free Flavor: Warm Indian Curry Spices

The secret to creating delicious flavor in this oil-free vegan recipe is Indian spices. The cornerstone of that is curry powder. We often think of curry powder as a simple go-to Indian spice. However, curry powder is a blend of spices. Much like American chili powder, curry powder contains a mix of spices to create delicious flavors.

What is in Curry Powder?

Curry powder is a combination of spices. It typically includes coriander, cumin, ginger, fenugreek, black pepper. Plus, turmeric is essential for giving curry powder its distinct yellow color. Different chefs create their own unique blends for curry powder, though. Some may add red chili or cayenne for extra heat. Others add a dash of cinnamon or clove for a touch of sweetness.

When made from scratch, the spices are usually toasted in their whole form (whole coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black pepper, and fenugreek). This brings develops their natural oils and brings out more flavor. Then, the seeds are ground into a fine powder that can be used in all sorts of dishes.

For the beginner cook and average home chef, there’s no need to make curry powder from scratch. There are many delicious brands of curry powder available online and in your regular grocery.

How to Develop Delicious Flavors in an Oil-Free Vegan Stew

Stews and soups are great recipes for learning how to layer flavors, one step at a time. This is the key to creating a delicious dish, while also limiting the amount of oil or extra salt added. Just think: If you were making a soup and threw everything into the pot at one time, it would taste like mush at the end. However, a few simple steps will reliably give you more complex, interesting flavors:

Step One: Sweat the Aromatics

Sometimes I like to think of Step One as “Step Onion” because it involves sweating your aromatics. Aromatics include ingredients like onion, carrots, celery, fennel, and bell peppers. Think of the French mirepoix or the Cajun Holy Trinity: these are the fundamental building blocks for most soups and stews. With onion and celery you get savory saltiness. With carrots, fennel, and bell peppers, you get natural sweetness. In this Curry Chickpea Stew, I use onion and ginger for a balance of savory and sweet spice.

To sweat the aromatics without any oil, I use a couple tablespoons of water and put a lid on the pot. This helps retain the moisture and prevent browning.

Chef Katie’s Oil-Free Saute Tip: If your aromatics are browning, add a splash of water and turn down the heat. Stir the aromatics well so they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan. This will slow the cooking and prevent charring or burning.

Step Two: Add your Spices and Garlic

Once your aromatics have started to release their juices and softened, you can layer in flavor with spices and garlic. For this Vegan Curry Chickpea Stew recipe, I add fresh garlic, curry powder, cumin, and a dash of cayenne. You want to quickly toast these spices for just 30 seconds, just until they are fragrant.

Chef Katie’s Oil-Free Toasting Tip: Be careful not to burn your spices or garlic. Burning can cause an unpleasant bitter flavor to develop. To be safe, turn down your heat, stir the spices a lot, and be ready to add more liquid to the pan.

Step Three: Add your Liquids

Once your spices are toasted and your aromatics are soft, it’s time to add the liquid for your stew. For this Plant-Based Curry Chickpeas recipe, I add canned tomato sauce, coconut milk, and water. When add these liquids, you want to scrape the bottom of the pan, loosening up any of the onion, ginger, and spices that might try to stick. Stir the liquids well to infuse them will all of the flavors you’ve built so far.

Step Four: Add your Beans, Lentils, Grains, or Potatoes

Now you’ve come to star of the show! This is when you add the substance of your stew. For this Curry Chickpea recipe, canned chickpeas are drained and rinsed before jumping in the pot. With other soups and stews, you might add kidney beans, white beans, lentils, whole grains, or potatoes.

Now, you just “Set it and Forget it!” Put the lid on the stew, bring it up to a simmer, and let it simmer for 25-30 minutes. This is when all of that delicious flavor imparts its magic into the chickpeas. This elevates that simple can of chickpeas into a satisfying dinner.

Step Five: Finish with Greens, Herbs, Citrus, or Chilis

Once your stew has simmered for 25-30 minutes, you can taste it and check the flavors. The curry flavor should be nicely melded into the chickpeas for a balance of warmth, spice, and soothing creaminess. Now you can finish your soup or stew with the final touch. For this Curry Chickpea Stew, I had a couple handfuls of chopped kale. You’ll want to cover the pot and let the kale wilt, which takes about 3-5 minutes. Then, you’re ready to enjoy.

Chef Katie’s Tips for Pops of Flavor: Other delicious ways to finish a soup or stew is with a pop of flavor from fresh herbs, citrus, or chilis. This Curry Chickpea stew would be delicious with a sprinkle of chopped cilantro, a squeeze of lemon, or a drizzle of chili paste.

Chef Katie’s Plant-Based Cooking Tips for Oil-Free Curry Chickpea Stew

Canned Bean Tip: Always drain and thoroughly rinse canned beans before using. This removes any of the canned flavor and makes them more digestible.

Make a Day Ahead: This stew tastes even better after it sits for a day.

Make Extra: This is an easy recipe to double and make extra servings for later in the week. It also freezes well for future weeknight meals.

Quality Curry Powder: Curry powder is like Indian chili powder. It is a unique mix of spices that can differ between brands and households. Most curry powders will contain fenugreek, turmeric, ginger, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, and pepper. A good quality curry powder will have no salt and smell incredibly fragrant (a good sign that it’s fresh).

Oil-Free: I’m on a mission to get rid of empty calories, like those found in refined oils. This recipe skips oil and uses parchment paper to keep the bars from sticking to the pan. This makes a healthy, low-calorie recipe.

Why Beans Rule: Beans are a healthy source of fiber, plant-based protein, and long-lasting energy. Research shows eating 2 cans of beans a week can help you live a long, healthy life! Plus, beans are very budget-friendly. Beans Rule!