Coconut Curry Chickpeas With Pumpkin and Lime

By Melissa Clark

Published September 24, 2019

  • Two plates of white rice, topped with curried chickpeas. Also on the table are two spoons, two cups and a bowl of sliced limes.
    Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
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Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(17,322)
Comments
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Canned pumpkin purée and coconut milk, heavily seasoned with curry spices and lots of fresh lime juice, make a sweet-sharp sauce for chickpeas. It’s a rich, creamy curry that you can eat on its own, or serve over rice or couscous. If you want to incorporate more vegetables, stir in some spinach, baby kale or sliced green beans during the last few minutes of cooking, letting them soften in the sauce.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

  • 3 tablespoons neutral oil, such as sunflower or canola

  • 1 large onion, chopped

  • 2 jalapeños, seeded or not, thinly sliced

  • 1 bay leaf

  • 1 knob ginger (about 1 inch), minced

  • 4 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1 ½ teaspoons garam masala

  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin

  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric

  • 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed

  • 1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk (do not use light coconut milk)

  • 1 (13.5-ounce) can pumpkin purée

  • 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt, more as needed

  • ¾ cup chopped cilantro, more for serving

  • 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus wedges for serving

  • Cooked rice or couscous, for serving (optional)

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

53 grams carbs; 472 calories; 6 grams monosaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 25 grams fat; 12 grams fiber; 822 milligrams sodium; 14 grams protein; 9 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 oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in onion, jalapeño and bay leaf. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is golden on the edges, about 8 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Add ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in garam masala, cumin and turmeric; cook for an additional 30 seconds.

  3. Step 3

    Stir in chickpeas, coconut milk, pumpkin, ½ cup water and 1 ½ teaspoons salt. Bring to a simmer and continue to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, to let the flavors meld. (Add more water if it starts to look too thick.) Stir in cilantro and lime juice to taste. Taste and add more salt if necessary.

  4. Step 4

    Serve over rice or couscous if you like, and top with more cilantro and lime wedges on the side.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
17,322 user ratings
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Comments

Bryan

This recipe is WOW! So many directions that you can take this or leave it as it is. For most curries I usually add a tablespoon of Tamari for a bit more depth. To help thicken this one I add about a 1/3 cup of red lentils. A tip I learned from an Indian chef. When adding spices to a curry, put your dry spices in a bowl and add hot water from the kettle to make a slurry. Then add to the pan or pot. It reduces the chance of scorching the spices in the hot pan which can make it taste bitter.

Kaitlyn

I used light coconut milk, but no water and it turned out rich and creamy with no extra simmering time. I also added in a zucchini and extra garam masala and tumeric (tasted a little bland to me without it). Great with those additions!

Amy

Great and easy but at least in my kitchen very very soupy at the suggested simmer time of 10 minutes. After 45minutes to an hour it looked just like the picture and was delicious, thick, rich and altogether great. Only change I made was using dry Aleppo pepper for jalapeño since I didn’t have jalapeños

Eric

Ok - seemed bland. But, I added some fish sauce and added the umami which really rounded out flavor. No longer vegan but really good.

Jen

I love this dish and have made it many times now. I find it tastiest when I increase the spices by 50% and use some broth instead of water

Michelle

One of the best recipes I have ever made. Certainly the best curry. Follow Bryan’s advice and add 1/3 cup lentils. Magic! Melissa Clark is a genius!

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