Chickpea Curry Recipe Vegan Coconut Chickpea Curry

About Chickpea Curry

In my personal collection of recipes, I have quite a few varieties of the Chickpea Curry which I make regularly at home. My all-time favorite is this robust and flavorsome one, the authentic Punjabi Chana Masala. This recipe has a good balance of spiciness and tanginess, which enhances the overall flavors too. It is just like the Chickpea Curry you get on the streets of Delhi and Punjab. However, the Coconut Chickpea Curry recipe that I have here on this post is a South Indian version. So, the real taste comes from the coconut and whole spices that are used in this particular variation of the dish. The distinct taste of coconut is quite dominant in this South Indian variant. Also, there is a subtle sweetness in this preparation, and it is not sour or tangy. Basically, in this Chickpea Curry recipe, all commonly used ingredients of South Indian cooking are added. The grated coconut being one of the main ingredients which just makes the dish awesome. You can also experiment and make the same recipe with black chickpeas, green peas or cauliflower or potato as well.   The masala paste of the Punjabi or North Indian style Chickpea Curry uses onions, tomatoes, spices, dried pomegranate seeds or dried mango powder. This also imparts the desired spiciness spicy and sourness in the curry. Along with these ingredients, garam masala powder or chana masala powder is also primary in this typical way of preparing the dish. But in this Coconut Chickpea Curry Recipe from South India, I add 2 mildly hot dried red chilies for a lesser spicy version at times. On some other occasions, I add 4 dried red chilies to increase the fieriness. So, you can vary the quantity of red chilies as per your taste, spice preference and the quality of red chilies.

Dried Chickpeas or Canned Chickpeas

I always use dried chickpeas when making any recipe with it. Soaking dried chickpeas and then cooking them is an additional prep work that you need to do. But my recipe works great with canned chickpeas too. The coconut and spices curry base is so flavorful, that once you add water, simply add the canned chickpeas (after draining the liquids and rinsing). Mix and stir to combine and simmer for some minutes. To make Chickpea Coconut Curry with canned chickpeas, add 3 cups of the canned chickpeas. Remember to drain all the liquids from the canned chickpeas and thoroughly rinse the chickpeas a few times in water, before you add them to the curry base.

How to make Chickpea Curry

Pressure Cook Chickpeas

1. First, rinse 1 cup dried white chickpeas for a couple of times in water. Then, soak the chickpeas in 3 cups water overnight or for 8 to 9 hours. Below is a photo of the soaked chickpeas. Tip: If you have forgotten to soak the chickpeas, soak them in hot water for 2 hours.
2. Drain the water. Rinse the chickpeas again a couple of times.
3. Again drain all of the water and add the soaked chickpeas in a 3 litre stovetop pressure cooker. Add ½ teaspoon salt. If you do not have a stovetop pressure cooker, cook chickpeas in a pot or pan covering them with 3.5 to 4 cups of water. Or opt to cook them in the Instant Pot adding 3 cups of water.
4. Add 3 cups water.
5. Stir to mix. Cover tightly with the pressure cooker’s lid. Pressure cook the chickpeas for about 20 to 22 minutes or 18 to 20 whistles on medium to high heat. The chickpeas should be completely cooked and have a melt-in-mouth consistency. Note: If cooking chickpeas in a pot, add about 3.5 to 4 cups water with salt to the chickpeas. Cover and cook the chickpeas till softened.

Make Chickpea Curry Base

7. While the chickpeas are cooking, prepare the curry base. Gather the spices listed below:

½ tablespoon fennel seeds½ tablespoon cumin seeds1 tablespoon coriander seeds4 to 5 black peppercorns2 green cardamoms2 to 3 cloves1 black cardamom1 inch cinnamon2 dried red chilies (mild to medium hot), seeds removed1 small piece stone flower (dagad phool), optional

For a spicy taste, add about 3 to 4 dried red chilies. The amount of red chilies to be added depends on the heat quotient in the chilies. So, if you use red chilies which have a high heat quotient, then just 1 or 2 dried red chilies would be fine. 8. You need to toast or roast the spices first. In a frying pan or skillet, dry roast all the spices stirring often on low heat till they become fragrant – taking care that you do not burn them. 9. Next, add ½ cup tightly packed grated fresh coconut and continue to roast. Do not worry if you do not have fresh coconut. Instead add about ⅓ cup of unsweetened desiccated or shredded coconut. 10. Stir continuously while roasting the coconut, so that there is uniform browning. 11. Roast till the coconut becomes golden. Remove the pan from heat and allow this mixture to cool. 12. Once the coconut-spice mixture is cooled, add it to a high-speed blender or a mixer-grinder jar. Also remember to remove the husk from the black cardamom and just add its seeds in the blender or grinder. 13. Add about ⅔ to ¾ cup water and grind to a fine and smooth paste. Ensure that the curry paste is not gritty or has fine chunks of the spices or coconut. Set aside.

Make Coconut Chickpea Curry

14. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a pan. Keeping heat to a low, add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds and allow them to crackle.
15. Then, add 1 tej patta (Indian bay leaf) and stir.
16. Add ⅓ cup finely chopped onions.
17. Stir and sauté till the onions turn translucent and soften on low to medium heat.
18. Add the below listed ingredients:

1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)1 pinch of asafoetida (hing)10 to 12 curry leaves

20. Stir and sauté on low heat for a few seconds or until the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.
21. Add ½ cup chopped tomatoes.
22. Sauté on low to medium heat for about 2 to 3 minutes or till the tomatoes soften.
23. Add the prepared curry paste.
24. Stir very well to combine with the rest of the sautéed ingredients.
25. Then, add the drained and cooked chickpeas.
26. Stir well again and sauté for a minute.
27. Now, add 1 cup water and 1 or 2 slit green chilies.
28. Season with salt as required. Mix again.
29. First bring to a boil on medium heat and later simmer the curry on low to medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes; or till the curry thickens a bit and you see some oil floating on top. Mash a few chickpeas with the back of the spoon to thicken the curry. Check the seasonings and add more salt as per your taste. Add more water, if needed depending on the consistency you prefer.
30. Lastly, switch off the heat and add 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro). Stir well.
31. Serve Chickpea Curry hot with Indian breads like poori, Naan, tandoori roti, bhatura, aloo paratha, bread, jeera rice or steamed rice accompanied with lemon wedges and onion slices.

Expert Tips for Chickpea Curry

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter. Pindi Chole | Pindi Chana Amritsari Chole Chana Pulao (Indian Chickpea Rice) Chana Chaat (White Chickpea Chaat Snack) This Chickpea Curry recipe from the blog archives, first published in July 2013 has been republished and updated on December 2022.

title: “Chickpea Curry Recipe Vegan Coconut Chickpea Curry” ShowToc: true date: “2024-10-02” author: “Josephine Tarnoff”

About Chickpea Curry

In my personal collection of recipes, I have quite a few varieties of the Chickpea Curry which I make regularly at home. My all-time favorite is this robust and flavorsome one, the authentic Punjabi Chana Masala. This recipe has a good balance of spiciness and tanginess, which enhances the overall flavors too. It is just like the Chickpea Curry you get on the streets of Delhi and Punjab. However, the Coconut Chickpea Curry recipe that I have here on this post is a South Indian version. So, the real taste comes from the coconut and whole spices that are used in this particular variation of the dish. The distinct taste of coconut is quite dominant in this South Indian variant. Also, there is a subtle sweetness in this preparation, and it is not sour or tangy. Basically, in this Chickpea Curry recipe, all commonly used ingredients of South Indian cooking are added. The grated coconut being one of the main ingredients which just makes the dish awesome. You can also experiment and make the same recipe with black chickpeas, green peas or cauliflower or potato as well.   The masala paste of the Punjabi or North Indian style Chickpea Curry uses onions, tomatoes, spices, dried pomegranate seeds or dried mango powder. This also imparts the desired spiciness spicy and sourness in the curry. Along with these ingredients, garam masala powder or chana masala powder is also primary in this typical way of preparing the dish. But in this Coconut Chickpea Curry Recipe from South India, I add 2 mildly hot dried red chilies for a lesser spicy version at times. On some other occasions, I add 4 dried red chilies to increase the fieriness. So, you can vary the quantity of red chilies as per your taste, spice preference and the quality of red chilies.

Dried Chickpeas or Canned Chickpeas

I always use dried chickpeas when making any recipe with it. Soaking dried chickpeas and then cooking them is an additional prep work that you need to do. But my recipe works great with canned chickpeas too. The coconut and spices curry base is so flavorful, that once you add water, simply add the canned chickpeas (after draining the liquids and rinsing). Mix and stir to combine and simmer for some minutes. To make Chickpea Coconut Curry with canned chickpeas, add 3 cups of the canned chickpeas. Remember to drain all the liquids from the canned chickpeas and thoroughly rinse the chickpeas a few times in water, before you add them to the curry base.

How to make Chickpea Curry

Pressure Cook Chickpeas

1. First, rinse 1 cup dried white chickpeas for a couple of times in water. Then, soak the chickpeas in 3 cups water overnight or for 8 to 9 hours. Below is a photo of the soaked chickpeas. Tip: If you have forgotten to soak the chickpeas, soak them in hot water for 2 hours.
2. Drain the water. Rinse the chickpeas again a couple of times.
3. Again drain all of the water and add the soaked chickpeas in a 3 litre stovetop pressure cooker. Add ½ teaspoon salt. If you do not have a stovetop pressure cooker, cook chickpeas in a pot or pan covering them with 3.5 to 4 cups of water. Or opt to cook them in the Instant Pot adding 3 cups of water.
4. Add 3 cups water.
5. Stir to mix. Cover tightly with the pressure cooker’s lid. Pressure cook the chickpeas for about 20 to 22 minutes or 18 to 20 whistles on medium to high heat. The chickpeas should be completely cooked and have a melt-in-mouth consistency. Note: If cooking chickpeas in a pot, add about 3.5 to 4 cups water with salt to the chickpeas. Cover and cook the chickpeas till softened.

Make Chickpea Curry Base

7. While the chickpeas are cooking, prepare the curry base. Gather the spices listed below:

½ tablespoon fennel seeds½ tablespoon cumin seeds1 tablespoon coriander seeds4 to 5 black peppercorns2 green cardamoms2 to 3 cloves1 black cardamom1 inch cinnamon2 dried red chilies (mild to medium hot), seeds removed1 small piece stone flower (dagad phool), optional

For a spicy taste, add about 3 to 4 dried red chilies. The amount of red chilies to be added depends on the heat quotient in the chilies. So, if you use red chilies which have a high heat quotient, then just 1 or 2 dried red chilies would be fine. 8. You need to toast or roast the spices first. In a frying pan or skillet, dry roast all the spices stirring often on low heat till they become fragrant – taking care that you do not burn them. 9. Next, add ½ cup tightly packed grated fresh coconut and continue to roast. Do not worry if you do not have fresh coconut. Instead add about ⅓ cup of unsweetened desiccated or shredded coconut. 10. Stir continuously while roasting the coconut, so that there is uniform browning. 11. Roast till the coconut becomes golden. Remove the pan from heat and allow this mixture to cool. 12. Once the coconut-spice mixture is cooled, add it to a high-speed blender or a mixer-grinder jar. Also remember to remove the husk from the black cardamom and just add its seeds in the blender or grinder. 13. Add about ⅔ to ¾ cup water and grind to a fine and smooth paste. Ensure that the curry paste is not gritty or has fine chunks of the spices or coconut. Set aside.

Make Coconut Chickpea Curry

14. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a pan. Keeping heat to a low, add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds and allow them to crackle.
15. Then, add 1 tej patta (Indian bay leaf) and stir.
16. Add ⅓ cup finely chopped onions.
17. Stir and sauté till the onions turn translucent and soften on low to medium heat.
18. Add the below listed ingredients:

1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)1 pinch of asafoetida (hing)10 to 12 curry leaves

20. Stir and sauté on low heat for a few seconds or until the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.
21. Add ½ cup chopped tomatoes.
22. Sauté on low to medium heat for about 2 to 3 minutes or till the tomatoes soften.
23. Add the prepared curry paste.
24. Stir very well to combine with the rest of the sautéed ingredients.
25. Then, add the drained and cooked chickpeas.
26. Stir well again and sauté for a minute.
27. Now, add 1 cup water and 1 or 2 slit green chilies.
28. Season with salt as required. Mix again.
29. First bring to a boil on medium heat and later simmer the curry on low to medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes; or till the curry thickens a bit and you see some oil floating on top. Mash a few chickpeas with the back of the spoon to thicken the curry. Check the seasonings and add more salt as per your taste. Add more water, if needed depending on the consistency you prefer.
30. Lastly, switch off the heat and add 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro). Stir well.
31. Serve Chickpea Curry hot with Indian breads like poori, Naan, tandoori roti, bhatura, aloo paratha, bread, jeera rice or steamed rice accompanied with lemon wedges and onion slices.

Expert Tips for Chickpea Curry

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter. Pindi Chole | Pindi Chana Amritsari Chole Chana Pulao (Indian Chickpea Rice) Chana Chaat (White Chickpea Chaat Snack) This Chickpea Curry recipe from the blog archives, first published in July 2013 has been republished and updated on December 2022.