Nourishing Chickpea Stew

This post is also available in: Suomi (Finnish)

this post is in collaboration with Urtekram & Asennemedia.

When winter rolls in, I turn into this one-hit wonder type of a cooker. Usually there’s an ingredient or a specific dish that gets me so enthusiastic, that it becomes the only thing I make. Four years ago I went crazy with beetroot and ate a gigantic amount of them. It was followed by the year of quinoa when I made it on repeat, constantly. It was total quinoa madness. The beetroot and quinoa craze were so intense, that I’m still not fully recovered and rarely cook with either of them. Two years ago when we were living in Amsterdam I found curries, thanks to the delicious homemade curry paste that was sold in the store downstairs. How about this year? Well, there’s something new in the picture already. And this one is a bowl of comfort and goodness and it’s called the nourishing chickpea stew!

The word stew usually refers to something with meat, but I like to make mine with loads of vegetables and  let pulses bring the protein to it. I got a box of different kinds of beans and lentils from Urtekram to try out and I ended up choosing their organic chickpeas for this stew, as chickpeas are my definite favorite from the bean aisle. The chickpeas also turned out to be a perfect choice for this recipe, as they came out soft and full of flavor – just the way I like it.

Usually stews are cooked in the oven but I decided to take the quicker route and make this one on the stove. If you’ve got more time, go for the oven, but this quicker version takes only about half an hour to make so it’s the perfect weeknight meal. And as a bonus, it makes a lot so you’ll be covered for days (I ate it for four days straight)!

The veggies here are always adaptable but the spices are the heart of this stew. I used fresh ginger, turmeric, chili and paprika powder and tamari, which bring a lot of warming flavors but don’t make it too spicy. If you’re into spicy foods you can always add some fresh chili in the mix, but for total beginners like me, I’d say the spiciness here is enough. Even the fresh chili in the pictures is too much for me and I always have to pick them out. But what wouldn’t you do for a pretty picture, right? :) I’m wishing lots of cozy days for all of you out there, I hope you enjoy this bowl of goodness and feel good! xo

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Nourishing Chickpea Stew

notes: you can serve this with any type of rice, I like to use whole grain basmati rice or sometimes red rice. you could try quinoa too! I also recommend tasting the stew before serving it so you can add more spices if needed. 

serves 4-6

2 cans organic chickpeas
1 sweet potato
1/2 zucchini
1 small broccoli
2 cloves of garlic
a small piece of ginger
1 can organic crushed tomatoes
2 cans (light) coconut milk
2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 – 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika powder
1 tbsp tamari (or soy sauce)
a pinch of salt & black pepper

For serving:

brown rice
fresh cilantro
sesame seeds

METHOD:

1. Rinse the chickpeas under running water, drain and transfer to a large saucepan. Peel the sweet potato and cut into small cubes. Rinse the zucchini and cut into thin slices. Chop the broccoli into small pieces. Chop the garlic and ginger and add all the vegetables into the saucepan.

2. Add the crushed tomatoes, coconut milk, and all the spices to the saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and cook over medium heat for about 15-20 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked. You can let the stew simmer for a longer period too, if you have more time. While the stew is cooking, prepare the rice according to the instructions on the package.

3. When the stew is ready, taste it carefully and add spices if needed. Serve the stew with some rice, fresh coriander and sesame seeds and enjoy! The stew keeps well in the fridge for a few days, but it can also be frozen in small boxes.