Hearty and soul-satisfying, coconut chickpea curry is perfect as a centerpiece to a light meal, or happy to play second fiddle to a more showy dinner star.
Wash chickpeas and soak overnight in 6 cups of water at room temperature. If your kitchen is hot, store in the refrigerator. Drain and discard water.
Cook chickpeas until tender in an Instant Pot, other pressure cooker, or on the stove top, depending on the method you prefer.
If cooking on the stovetop, place chickpeas in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, or saucepan. Add 6 cups of water and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer, cover the pan with a slight crack and cook until tender. This will take about 2 hours. Check periodically and add more water if need be making sure the chickpeas are covered
While the chickpeas are cooking, in a medium-sized heavy pan over medium-high heat, add the spices through to the black peppercorns. Sauté for a minute or two until fragrant. Let cool.
Grind the cooled spices and place in a small bowl. Grind the coconut into a powder and add to the spices. Set aside.
In a heavy pan, over medium-high heat, add the coconut oil, and when the oil is hot add the mustard seeds and stir for a minute or two until the seeds crackle. Add the curry leaves and stir for 30 seconds.
Add the finely chopped onions and cook until they are translucent. This will take about 5 minutes. Add a little water if the onions are sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Add the green chili, turmeric, and Kashmiri chili powder. Cook for 2 minutes.
Add the cooked chickpeas to the onion mixture along with the water used to cook them in. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, ground spices, coconut, and lemon juice.
Bring to a boil for 3 minutes, then turn the heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes to blend the flavors. Taste for seasoning: acid, heat, and salt. Garnish with a swirl of yogurt or cream.
Notes
The cook time does not include cooking the chickpeas.
You are looking at the chickpeas to be melt in your mouth soft.
A tip for softer chickpeas is to add a teaspoon of baking soda while soaking; drain and add more water for the cooking step.
It is traditional to use black chickpeas, but if you don’t have them, use what you have.
If you are using canned chickpeas for this coconut chickpea curry, you may still need to simmer them up to 20 minutes, or until they are soft.
Curry leaves add herbaceous, anise, and citrus notes to a dish. curry. If you can’t find them, you can add 1/2 teaspoon of lime rind. The result won't be the same but the zest can add some of the citrus notes you get with the real thing. Buy unwaxed fruit.