Since I became a vegetarian, the legumes are a very important part of my diet. I love the Greek traditional legume recipes, which I have grown up with, as well as my children. But when you have to cook them so often on a weekly basis you have to discover new ways to consume them. Fortunately there are many: in salads, in soups, in the oven, in the pot, in the casserole, in a burger or croquette.
Even the more traditional members of my family have loved the pumpkin chickpeas with curry and coconut milk, but they’ll still adore the famous classic Greek way chickpeas soup with plenty of lemon and dill. These specific chickpeas are cooked in the pot, have a lightly sweet taste and smell exotically.
For this exotic chickpeas recipe you will need:
- 200 gr chickpeas
- vegetable stock
- 1 onion, diced
- 1/2 teacup diced pumpkin
- 1 /2 teacup diced carrots
- 1 teacup diced bell peppers
- 3/4 teacup coconut milk
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 3 tsp curry
- salt, freshly grated pepper
*Steamed rice Thai or jasmine or basmati or even hot tortillas to be served with.*
Instructions:
Soak the chickpeas overnight and drain them in the morning. Then boil them for 45 minutes and strain them. (Keep the liquid from the boiled chickpeas and dissolve the vegetable stock into it)
Saute the onions, carrots, pumpkin, chickpeas and bell peppers into a pot with oil for 5 minutes. Add the spices and the vegetable stock in a teacup and dissolve with hot water or with the liquid from the boiled chickpeas. Mix them very well and cook them for 30 minutes until the sauce thickens, add hot water if is needed. Add the coconut milk five minutes before you turn them off and cook them all together for 5 more minutes.
Serve them with aromatic steamed rice or hot tortillas. Enjoy!
