Chickpea Curry with Cauliflower

Name: Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Cuisine: dinner
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon cumin seeds; 1 tablespoon coriander seeds; 1 tablespoon fenugreek; 1 teaspoon fennel seeds; 2 whole cloves; 4 teaspoons ground turmeric; 2 teaspoons yellow mustard powder (or yellow mustard seeds, ground); 1 teaspoon ground ginger; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom; 1/4 teaspoon celery seeds; 1 tablespoons olive oil; 1 small head cauliflower; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 cup full-fat coconut milk; 1 to 2 cups low sodium vegetable broth; 1 cup cooked chickpeas (drained and rinsed if using canned); a pinch of red pepper flakes; Brown Rice; Cilantro; Greek Yogurt; Chutney; Chapati; Limes

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For me, the key to eating a lot of vegetables is to spice them up. For example, I love cauliflower by itself. But adding a bit of spice can transform it! It becomes something completely different (and slightly magical). In fact, it takes a meal from "Oh, this vegan" to "Oh, this is delicious." As a result, adding spice can be quite helpful for a vegetarian/vegan diet.

At first, the list of spices here might be a bit scary. But don't worry! You can easily find what you need at your local health food store. Finally, if you do a quick search online, you will find other curry powders that have fewer spices. Play around a bit and try a few in order to find a combination you love!

The blend below makes more than what you need for this recipe. However, you can store the spice blend in a airtight container for later use.

Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry

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My favorite chickpea curry recipe with a solid homemade curry powder, chickpeas, and cauliflower to help round out the richness. Serve on your favorite grain!

Author: Erin Alderson
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 4 servings 1x
Cuisine: dinner

Ingredients

Scale

Curry Powder:

1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon fenugreek
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 whole cloves
4 teaspoons ground turmeric
2 teaspoons yellow mustard powder (or yellow mustard seeds, ground)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon celery seeds

Curry Base:

1 tablespoons olive oil
1 small head cauliflower
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup full-fat coconut milk
1 to 2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1 cup cooked chickpeas (drained and rinsed if using canned)
a pinch of red pepper flakes

Serve with:

Brown Rice
Cilantro
Greek Yogurt
Chutney
Chapati
Limes

Instructions

Combine cumin, coriander, fenugreek, and fennel seeds in a skillet and toast over medium heat until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Once toasted, add the spices along with the cloves to a grinder or mortar/pestle. Grind until combined.
Transfer ground spices to a bowl along with remaining spices. Stir until well combined, set aside.
Cut cauliflower into bite-sized pieces, about 3 to 4 cups total. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat and add minced garlic. Saute for 1 minute and then add cauliflower, 3 tablespoons of the curry powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and pinch red pepper flakes. Stir until well combined. Then add 1 cup coconut milk, 1 cup vegetable broth and chickpeas. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let cook for 20 to 30 minutes. While cooking, add more vegetable broth as need to keep a desired consistency.
Serve with brown rice and your favorite toppings.

Notes

Tips & Tricks: Can't find whole spices? I've also used all pre-ground spices before with good success. It's a great blend to have on hand when you want a bit of curry flavoring. Like on popcorn- so good!

Stock up: get the pantry ingredients you will need: cauliflower, coconut milk, chickpeas

Nutrition: see the information.

Nutrition

Calories: 263
Sugar: 3.5
Sodium: 437
Fat: 17.9
Carbohydrates: 22.9
Fiber: 7
Protein: 7.9
Cholesterol: 0

Chickpea Curry

variations

Recently, my curries have become akin to pizza or tacos. While I have favorites, I'll often check the refrigerator and use the vegetables I have on hand. Then, dinner goes from there. In general, the curry powder is what makes the difference. However, the toppings are a close second. Some additions/substitutions include:

Vegetables: I love cauliflower in curries. But other vegetables also work well including sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, peas, squash, greens or asparagus.

Chutney: I always have chutney my refrigerator. In particular, I usually have tomato, apple, or fig chutney. However, the type of chutney you make is really up to you. Around this time of year, I really love the apple version to pair with chickpea curry.

Grains: To serve the curry, I typically use brown rice. However, quinoa, cracked freekeh, or millet are also great bases for this chickpea curry. With this meal, I avoid longer cooking grains such as whole wheat berries or sorghum.

Explore Chickpeas

Chickpeas are the perfect star of the show. Because of this, I always have chickpeas on hand for quick meals (like these chickpea burgers). I prep a big batch on the weekend, freeze in 2 cup portions, and pull out/thaw whenever I need them. For inspiration, a few of my favorite chickpea recipes include:

Quinoa Falafels
Chickpea Cakes with Shaved Asparagus
Teriyaki Chickpea Loaded Sweet Potato

Recipe first published on February 25th, 2013. Last updated on September 6th, 2015.

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how’s that for exciting | says:

04.9.13 at 10:10 am

[...] t. cauliflower and chickpea curry + rice [...]

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Curried Cauliflower Pizza | Naturally Ella says:

05.10.13 at 7:08 am

[...] 2-3 tablespoons good Curry Powder [...]

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