Healthy Recipes Blog

People have been writing to me just recently requesting more beans and pulses recipes, so here’s a delicious chickpea stew recipe my next door neighbour gave me last week.

Chickpea Stew

2 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, finely sliced
3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
1 or 2 green chillies, to taste, seeded and finely chopped
1 tsp sea salt
2 X 400g/14oz tins of chickpeas, drained
80ml/2¾fl oz water
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric, optional
freshly ground black pepper
500g/17½oz cherry tomatoes
100g/3½oz baby English spinach leaves
To serve
plain yoghurt
pitta bread
olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
paprika

Heat a large deep frying pan over a medium to high heat. Add the oil, onion, garlic, ginger, chillies and salt and cook for five minutes (or until the onions are soft) being careful to stir regularly.

Add the chickpeas, 80ml/2¾fl oz water, cumin, turmeric and pepper and cook for five minutes or until the water evaporates. Add the tomatoes and cook for another two minutes to soften.

Remove from the heat and check for seasoning. Stir through the spinach and top with yoghurt.

To make the pitta crisps, break up pieces of pitta bread and drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper and paprika. Bake in a moderate oven for 10-12 minutes or until crisp.

Serve with the stew on a warmed plate.