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    Home » main course » vegetarian » Secret Recipe Club: Chickpea and Sweet Potato Curry

    Secret Recipe Club: Chickpea and Sweet Potato Curry

    Nov 5, 2012 · 19 Comments

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    Guess what? It's time for another Secret Recipe Club reveal! (Note: We would have also accepted "chicken butt" as an answer.)

    I was super-excited to learn my assigned blog for November is The Inquiring Chef, because I've had it saved on my newsreader for the past few months.

    Chickpea and Sweet Potato Curry

    Meet This Month's Blogger

    The blogger behind The Inquiring Chef is Jess, an American expat living in Thailand. My favourite thing about her blog is the beautiful photos and stories about her life overseas. They make me want to immediately hop on the next flight to Bangkok, just so I can experience (and eat) all the wonderfulness of Thailand firsthand.

    Not surprisingly, along with all of her stories about life in Thailand, Jess also shares a lot of Thai recipes on her blog. I already have several of them bookmarked for a rainy day. 

    And by that, I meant a metaphorical rainy day rather than a literal one. Because, as it turns out, mother nature had other plans in mind.

    Even though I had every intention making one of her delicious curries, my best-laid plans were foiled by a rain-soaked weekend that preceded the arrival of Hurricane Sandy. (Which, thankfully, didn't hit Toronto nearly as hard as it did in New York or New Jersey.)

    Chickpea and Sweet Potato Curry

    The Joys of Pantry Cooking

    The original recipe I picked out had a few ingredients that I don't normally have on hand, but the beauty of living in Toronto is that you can buy pretty much anything if you're willing to travel.

    The problem is that the weather wasn't really conducive to a cross-town trip to the Asian supermarket. This was a day for hiding out indoors wearing comfy pajama pants, watching silly movies on the TV, counting raindrops on windowpanes and sipping on big mugs of hot tea. Bundling up and braving the driving cold rain, on the other hand? No thanks.

    So I went with Plan B, because thankfully I had almost everything on hand to make her recipe for chickpea and sweet potato curry. Hurray for my well-stocked pantry!

    (Seriously, I'm downright obsessive about keeping a full pantry. I get twitchy when I've got less than three kinds of pasta on hand. I'm basically one large bag of flour away from having my own TLC series.)

    In a rather serendipitous way, this curry turned out to be the perfect antidote to a cold, grey, miserable rainy day. We ladled it onto a fluffy pile of brown basmati rice and curled up on the couch with a non-stop stream of True Blood on the TV to keep us company.

    Chickpea and Sweet Potato Curry

    How I Made this Recipe my Own

    The biggest change I made to the original recipe was to add the spices to the browned onions and potatoes instead of toasting them dry, because I was working with relatively fresh spices.

    That said, if you're not sure when you bought that bag of garam masala, you may want to change up the order and toast your spices for a minute in a dry pan before adding the rest.

    I also used a whole can of chickpeas (because who doesn't love chickpeas!) and used a full 19oz can of tomatoes (since 15oz aren't sold here in Canada).

    Lastly, I added a hefty pinch of cayenne pepper at the end since we prefer our curries on the spicy side. That's entirely optional, though.

    Chickpea and Sweet Potato Curry

    The Verdict

    I'm not going to pretend it's on par with the curries we can get at our favourite Indian place, most likely because it doesn't contain a staggering amount of ghee.

    However, it is an absolutely delicious and belly-warming option if you're in the mood for a quick vegetarian meal.  And given the lack of ghee, it's also a much healthier option!

    It's like they say... when life hands you lemons, make lemonade.

    And when it hands you crappy fall weather, make a big pot of this curry and throw some True Blood on the TV. (Also, make yourself a promise that once the sky clears, you'll go out and buy the ingredients for that delicious-looking Thai eggplant dish you bookmarked.)

    //

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    Chickpea and Sweet Potato Curry


    ★★★★★

    5 from 2 reviews

    • Author: Adapted from The Inquiring Chef
    • Total Time: 35 mins
    • Yield: 4 1x
    • Diet: Vegetarian
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    This vegetarian curry comes together in a flash using (mostly) pantry ingredients. Serve it with freshly cooked brown rice or oven-warmed naan for an easy weeknight meal.


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
    • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
    • 1 medium sweet potato, cut into ½-inch cubes
    • 1 tsp garam masala
    • 1 tsp paprika
    • 2 tbsp Indian curry paste (or curry powder)
    • 1 clove garlic, minced
    • 1 tsp minced fresh ginger
    • 2 tbsp tomato paste
    • 1 cup vegetable broth or water
    • ½ cup coconut milk
    • 1 can (540 ml / 19 oz) canned chickpeas
    • 1 can (540 ml / 19 oz) whole tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped
    • Salt, to taste
    • Cayenne pepper, to taste
    • 1 cup plain yogurt, for garnish

    Instructions

    1. In a large saucepan set over medium high heat, saute onion and sweet potato in vegetable oil until potato becomes tender, 8-10 minutes, reducing heat if onions begin to brown. Add garam masala, paprika and curry paste, and continue cooking for about 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add garlic, ginger and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute longer.
    2. Add broth, coconut milk, chickpeas and tomatoes. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Allow to simmer for about 10-15 minutes, or until sauce is thickened and potatoes are very tender. Remove from heat. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and/or cayenne pepper to taste.
    3. Serve immediately with warm naan bread or ladle onto on a bed of cooked rice. Garnish with a dollop of yogurt and a sprinkle of cilantro, if desired.
    • Prep Time: 10 mins
    • Cook Time: 25 mins
    • Category: Main
    • Method: Stovetop
    • Cuisine: Indian

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Maya says

      November 19, 2012 at 12:55 am

      This looks so delicious, I can't wait to try it

      Reply
    2. Lynn says

      November 13, 2012 at 9:29 pm

      This sounds really good. I think I actually have most of the ingredients. I'm like with you on the stocked pantry; I'm feeling quite naked now in my new place with minimal supplies.

      Reply
    3. CJ at Food Stories says

      November 13, 2012 at 3:46 pm

      I love chickpeas & this dish is gorgeous :-)

      Reply
    4. Peggy says

      November 11, 2012 at 1:13 pm

      This sounds so good! I wish I had a well-stocked pantry - but then again, I wish I was home more often to stock it =) Great pick for SRC!

      Reply
    5. Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says

      November 11, 2012 at 9:22 am

      I'm the same way about my pantry. If I see things are looking a little low then I start feeling poor. :)

      This is a perfect dish for me and it looks wonderful.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    6. Asiya says

      November 11, 2012 at 12:33 am

      Looks warm and comforting..a great fall dish!

      Reply
    7. movita beaucoup says

      November 10, 2012 at 7:30 am

      Holy curry! We're just starting to get the cold, dark weather of late fall here, and I'm thinking this dish might brighten things up a bit... I'm off to check out a new-to-me blog now!

      Reply
    8. [email protected] says

      November 8, 2012 at 10:10 am

      I love me a good vegetarian curry, and considering that we are in for another bout of that rainy weather (doesn't Nor'easter sounds so quaint and old-timey?) I might just whip up this recipe. (I think we are on the same wavelength - during that miserable weekend, I made Hot and Sour Soup to warm up, which I'll be blogging about on Monday.)

      Love the reference to TLC - do you have a nice, shiny storefront and 34 bottles of mouthwash in your garage, too? If so, I'm coming over during the next Hurricane!

      Reply
    9. Kirstin says

      November 6, 2012 at 1:56 pm

      I have a friend who would probably love this.

      Reply
    10. Lisa~~ says

      November 5, 2012 at 6:48 pm

      Curries are a comfort food in our home, perfect for cold, rainy, dreary and even sunny perfect days, can never go wrong with a good curry. Great recipe and SRC pick.

      If you haven't already, I'd love for you to check out my SRC entry: Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken.

      Lisa~~

      Reply
    11. Jess says

      November 5, 2012 at 6:18 pm

      So glad you liked it Isabelle, and let's be honest - what isn't made better with a whole boatload of ghee?! Can't beat something warm and spicy on a gray day!

      Reply
    12. sara says

      November 5, 2012 at 3:09 pm

      Looks like a really delicious curry! Yum. :) Perfect for cold weather!

      Reply
    13. cookingrookie says

      November 5, 2012 at 3:05 pm

      That's a beautiful recipe!

      Reply
    14. Lesa @Edesia's Notebook says

      November 5, 2012 at 2:50 pm

      I love curries and I love sweet potatoes, but have never had a sweet potato curry. Sounds delish!

      Reply
    15. [email protected] says

      November 5, 2012 at 12:47 pm

      This looks so good, pinned :)

      Reply
    16. Ginny says

      November 5, 2012 at 12:47 pm

      Such lovely photos! I love this! I haven't made a curry in way too long. You've relit my curry fire!

      (And I am still laughing at "Guess what? Chicken Butt!" Haven't heard that one in years.)

      Reply
    17. AmandaE says

      November 5, 2012 at 12:18 pm

      This looks great! I'm a huge fan of curries and always looking for more recipes to add to my collection :-) Great SRC pick

      Reply
    18. Gretchen (Veggie Grettie) says

      November 5, 2012 at 12:14 pm

      This looks fantastic. I actually have all of the ingredients for this curry at home already...looks like I know what lunch will be today!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    19. [email protected] says

      November 5, 2012 at 12:13 pm

      Looks delicious!

      Reply

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    Hello! I'm Isabelle, and this is my blog. I'm a 40-something coffee-chugging, booty-shaking, bargain-shopping, trucker-swearing self-taught cook with a major addiction to vintage cookbooks. Come for the recipes, stay for the terrible puns! Connect with me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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