Spiced Chickpea Stew With Coconut and Turmeric

By Alison Roman

Updated February 17, 2025

  • Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott for The New York Times. Prop Stylist: Kalen Kaminski.
Media 1 of 2
Total Time
55 minutes
Rating
5(30,500)
Comments
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Spiced chickpeas are crisped in olive oil, then simmered in a garlicky coconut milk for an insanely creamy, basically-good-for-you stew that evokes stews found in South India and parts of the Caribbean. While the chickpeas alone would be good as a side dish, they are further simmered with stock, bolstered with dark, leafy greens of your choosing and finished with a handful of fresh mint. When shopping, be sure to avoid low-fat coconut milk, coconut milk meant for drinking or cream of coconut: All are very different and would not be suitable here.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

  • ¼ cup olive oil, plus more for serving

  • 4 garlic cloves, chopped

  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped

  • 1 (2-inch) piece ginger, finely chopped

  • Kosher salt and black pepper

  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground turmeric, plus more for serving

  • 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more for serving

  • 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

  • 2 (15-ounce) cans full-fat coconut milk

  • 2 cups vegetable or chicken stock

  • 1 bunch Swiss chard, kale or collard greens, stems removed, torn into bite-size pieces

  • 1 cup mint leaves, for serving

  • Yogurt, for serving (optional)

  • Toasted pita, lavash or other flatbread, for serving (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)

54 grams carbs; 4 milligrams cholesterol; 661 calories; 9 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 29 grams saturated fat; 45 grams fat; 13 grams fiber; 1199 milligrams sodium; 19 grams protein; 10 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat ¼ cup oil in a large pot over medium. Add garlic, onion and ginger. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally until onion is translucent and starts to brown a little at the edges, 3 to 5 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Add 1 ½ teaspoons turmeric, 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, and the chickpeas, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, so the chickpeas sizzle and fry a bit in the spices and oil, until they’ve started to break down and get a little browned and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove about a cup of chickpeas and set aside for garnish.

  3. Step 3

    Using a wooden spoon or spatula, further crush the remaining chickpeas slightly to release their starchy insides. (This will help thicken the stew.) Add coconut milk and stock, and season with salt and pepper.

  4. Step 4

    Bring to a simmer, scraping up any bits that have formed on the bottom of the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until stew has thickened, 30 to 35 minutes. (Taste a chickpea or two, not just the liquid, to make sure they have simmered long enough to be as delicious as possible.) If after 30 to 35 minutes, you want the stew a bit thicker, keep simmering until you've reached your desired consistency. Determining perfect stew thickness is a personal journey!

  5. Step 5

    Add greens and stir, making sure they’re submerged in the liquid. Cook until they wilt and soften, 3 to 7 minutes, depending on what you’re using. (Swiss chard and spinach will wilt and soften much faster than kale or collard greens.) Season again with salt and pepper.

  6. Step 6

    Divide among bowls and top with mint, reserved chickpeas, a sprinkle of red-pepper flakes and a good drizzle of olive oil. Serve alongside yogurt and toasted pita if using; dust the yogurt with turmeric if you'd like.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
30,500 user ratings
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Comments

Charlie

This is a great recipe. I made a few changes that pushed it over the top: -Added a jalapeño with the onion/garlic/ginger mixture -Doubled the amount of onion -Added a dash of cumin -At the very end of cooking, I added juice from half a lime and 2 tsp fish sauce -Beet greens worked well for me, as did cilantro for a garnish

Dee

Keep ginger in a ziplock bag in the freezer. Always ready for easy grating & never gets moldy!

Roni Jordan

DIY coconut milk so much better than canned. In a blender combine 1-3/4 cups Bob's Red Mill unsweetened shredded coconut and 2-1/3 cups warm water. Let stand about a minute so coconut slightly softens. Then blend on high 1-2 minutes until creamy. This took 1 minute in Vitamix. Pour into fine mesh strainer over a bowl, and press on the solids, then discard them. Yields 1-3/4 cups perfect coconut millk, just about what you need for this recipe.

Maggie

Made with white beans so they’d break down even more. Only one can of coconut milk, it was enough and more would have muted the spices too much. I did end up adding some Penzey’s North African spice mix for heat and interest. And a squeeze of lime.

Philip

To all the coconut milk phobes out there... Most comments seem to think that one person will consume the entire recipe which is supposed to be four to six servings! Divide your calorie counts and HDL quantities etc. by at least four and these more realistic numbers won't seem so excessive for the main meal of the day.

Kym

Added Garam Masala, served over rice with dolap of yogurt, fresh mint. Tasty!

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