Chickpeas, mushrooms, tomatoes, and spinach simmered in a curry coconut broth with fire-roasted green chilies served over fluffy turmeric, paprika, and cinnamon-spiced brown basmati rice to make a delightful vegetarian curried chickpeas meal.
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Satisfaction Guarantee
Whether you are a vegetarian or have a weekly meatless Monday, this dish is here to satisfy you. It is so comforting to have the perfect yellow rice being soaked up in a super quick and easy creamy curried coconut sauce.
What makes a great sauce is the added vegetables, spices, and herbs, and nothing was skipped to make this excellent dinner choice. We try to have at least two vegetarian meals a week, and because I love variety, it has to compete with my chicken, turkey, and lamb dishes. To sum up, this was a winner!
Forget take out! Want Mexican? Try the Cheesy Chipotle Mushroom Vegetarian Birria Style Tacos. How about Italian? Check out the Plant-Based: Italian Sausage with Spicy Creamy Lentil Pasta. Let's do Asian! You must try Bang Bang Crispy Tofu with Egg Fried Brown Rice. This dish has a combination of Thai, Chinese, and Japanese! Or Herb Panko Tofu with Curried Potatoes, Carrots, and Onions for that Katsu Japanese-inspired meal.
Indian and Jamaican Curry
The inspiration for this dish is our night out eating Indian chickpea curry, Chana Masala, Chana for chickpeas, and masala for the curry spice blend. Of course, this dish is in no way the same as that, but it is where I get my influence when creating it.
And because the Caribbean's West Indies use curry, too, why don't we mash it up with some Jamaican curry powder?
Looking for other curry recipes? Try the Herb Panko Tofu with Curried Potatoes, Carrots, and Onion, a delicious vegetarian meal—or this dish with a twist: Chicken Curry Stir-Fry with Coconut Rice and Beans. Have curry for breakfast with Chickpeas and Egg Masala!
Ingredients and Instructions
In the rice cooker, you will rinse the rice about three times, then add your basmati brown rice, water, turmeric powder, salt, cumin, black pepper, paprika powder, red pepper chili flakes, ground cinnamon, and coriander powder.
Make the Curry
Firstly, heat a large saute pan with olive oil. Then add your onions, mushrooms, garlic, and tomatoes. Finally, add your green chilies, curry powder, Italian herb blend, salt, ground black pepper, chickpeas, and red bell peppers, then simmer.
You want the sauce to reduce to make the sauce robust while cooking the chickpeas; then you'll add the coconut milk. This way, you don't have to add too much in the beginning to reduce, making this dish a light coconut sauce.
To finish, you'll add the spinach since you just want to wilt it to prevent loss of nutrients, then taste and season if necessary. Finally, top your fluffy yellow basmati brown rice with the curried chickpeas and vegetables, and you're all done!
See the curried chickpeas recipe card for quantities.
Busy Folks - Become a better home cook with cooking tips to help you cook more efficiently on Cook's Notebook tab. Learn more about cooking rice, like the Easy Spiced Brown Brice with Quinoa. Learn about prepping sweet peppers.
Serving Suggestion
Don't be afraid to serve it with a side of salad; I love serving it with mixed greens, quartered fresh Campari tomatoes, and thinly sliced red onions with a jalapeno-lime type of vinaigrette.
Substitutions
- Brown Basmati Rice - You can use medium-grain brown rice or jasmine brown rice. For example, medium-grain brown rice refers to regular white medium-grain rice with the brain layer covering the white grain. In addition, Jasmine brown rice has a slight floral aroma. It is also usually used in South East Asian and Caribbean cuisines.
- Cinnamon Powder - You can use one cinnamon stick.
- Tomatoes - I used Campari Tomatoes, slightly bigger than grade, and cherry tomatoes but not as big as a plum tomato. However, you can use plum tomatoes; just cut them into six instead of quartered. In addition, if you use grape or cherry tomatoes, cut them in half. However, I do not suggest using globe tomatoes; the regular large round tomatoes contain too much water and acidity.
Change Heat Level - Modify the recipe's heat level to your liking and learn more about the Scoville Scale and Chili Pairings.
Variations
- Meat and Seafood - Add seared, air-fried, or oven-roasted sliced meat or fish. Or add raw fish bites or shrimp in the last minutes of simmering the coconut curry. For example, shrimp takes about three minutes; add it during the last three minutes.
- Greens - Make it a leafy curry and add chopped baby kale.
Equipment
- Rice Cooker and Rice Paddle- Used to make the spiced rice. To develop this recipe, I used the Aroma Housewares Digital Rice Cooker. It's a simple rice cooker I've also had for years.
- Another popular, highly-rated rice cooker I've seen people talk about is the Zojirushi Rice Cooker. It's expensive, but I would love to try it one day.
- Don't have a rice cooker? If you wish for a similar stove-top rice recipe, check out Cook's Notebook: Cooking Rice: Spiced Brown Rice and Quinoa: Stove Top Instructions recipe.
- Medium Saute Pan - Used to make the chickpea and mushroom curry.
Kitchen Must Haves - Find other tools I use here.
Storage
- Refrigerator - Place the rice and chickpea curry in separate 2-inch shallow pans to cool down quickly to store in the fridge. Then, store in an air-tight sealing container. The rice and curried chickpeas will last for up to four days.
- Freezer - Follow the refrigeration process mentioned above. Then, you can place it in the freezer in a labeled, airtight container.
Air Tight Food Containers - I use Glass Food Storage Containers with a plastic clipping lid to store food. For example, I always suggest glass storage containers since you can microwave them and hold food without staining the container, and the glass keeps them at a more stable temperature, which keeps the food fresher longer.
Cooking Tips
- Cook Rice First! - Whatever meal you make, I always suggest starting the rice before prepping ingredients for the protein or the sides that will be eaten with the rice.
- Fluffing Rice Method - Fluffing the rice with a fork or a paddle evaporates the extra moisture, leaving you a bowl of lighter, fluffier rice. For example, the method involves scooping and mixing the cooked rice within the container to allow steam to escape.
- Measuring Canned Green Chilies - Usually come in 4-ounce cans equal to half of a cup.
- Measuring Spinach - You can do this leniently. A cup is about the size of your fist.
- Wilting spinach - This cooking method means it is not cooked for long but just enough to keep its bright green color and nutrients. In addition, this usually takes about 30 seconds.
- Quick Prep - Using Italian herb seasoning is a quick way to get various herbs into your sauce without buying them all individually. In addition, the Italian herb mixture also complements this dish.
Frequently Asked Questions
There is no difference; "garbanzo" is just the Latin name for this bean.
Chickpeas do numerous things, from helping you control your blood sugar and pressure, cholesterol, and even triglycerides to managing your weight maintenance. In addition, they have also been shown to help with gut health. See Health.com to learn more.
Yes, they are known to be packed with protein, giving you a healthy alternative to meat. As a result, it helps you with controlling your cholesterol.
In a serving of chickpeas, which is ⅓ of a cup, there are about 13 grams of protein.
Jamaican curry powder has cardamon, brown mustard, fenugreek, fennel, caraway, coriander, cumin, turmeric, ginger, chili flakes, onion, allspice, garlic, black peppercorn, cayenne, and anise.
While garam masala has cardamon, cinnamon, cumin, cloves, black peppercorn, nutmeg, mace, coriander, and bay leaf, but let's backtrack a little; there is an Indian yellow curry called "curry powder," but it has lesser ingredients and will be much hotter.
So if I had to place these three spices from hot to mild: Indian curry powder, Jamaican curry powder, then garam masala. For example, garam masala is more concentrated on being fragrant. How did curry get from India to Jamaica? Check out my little story on this topic in my Curry Lentil Turkey Stew recipe post.
Vegetarian Recipes
Looking for other vegetarian recipes like this? Try these:
- How to Make Multigrain Rice | Purple Rice Recipe
- Caesar Salad with Egg Tomatoes and Chili-Infused Croutons
- Spicy Falafel Pita Sandwich & Lemon Tahini Dressing
- Vegetarian Smoky Chipotle Chorizo and Bean Stew
Healthy Recipes
Looking for other healthy recipes like this? Try these:
- Easy 15-Minute Marinade for Beef Kabobs
- Healthy Haitian-Style Creole Spicy Shrimp Pasta
- Healthy Spicy Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers with Salad
- Grilled Beef Skewers with Djon Djon (Black Mushroom) Rice
Video
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📖 Recipe
Curried Chickpeas and Mushrooms with Spiced Brown Basmati Rice
Ingredients
Spiced Basmati Rice
- 1 cup basmati brown rice
- 2 ¼ cups of water
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika powder
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper chili flakes
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Curried Chickpeas and Mushrooms
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup onions medium diced
- 2 cups mushrooms quartered
- 4 garlic cloves minced or garlic pressed
- 1 cup Campari tomatoes quartered
- ½ cup canned fire-roasted green chilies
- 1 tablespoon Jamaican curry powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian herb blend
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 can chickpeas drained
- 1 cup red bell peppers medium diced
- ½ cup coconut milk
- 1 cup baby spinach
Equipment
- Rice Paddle
Instructions
- Save time in the kitchen: Read the instructions thoroughly, then gather and prep all your ingredients before cooking! Learn Prepping Tips.
- Cook the Rice: Rince the basmati rice at least three times. Then add the water, turmeric, cumin, black pepper, paprika powder, red pepper chili flakes, cinnamon, coriander, and salt.
- Select the "whole grain" or "brown rice" setting on your rice cooker. Then once the timer goes off for the cooked rice, fluff the rice with the rice paddle to help evaporate the excess liquid. While the rice cooks, begin making the curried chickpeas and mushrooms.
- Saute the Vegetables: Heat the oil in a medium saute pan on medium-high heat. Then add the onions and cook until translucent for about 1 minute, stirring occasionally,
- Add the mushrooms and garlic, combine well, and cook for about two minutes to slightly brown the edges of the mushrooms.
- Add the tomatoes, and cook until the tomatoes have created liquid and have broken down, and the onions are translucent and covered in the red liquid.
- Season the Vegetables: Add the green chili, curry powder, Italian herb blend, salt, and pepper and stir well for about thirty seconds. Then add the chickpeas and bell peppers and simmer evaporate most of the liquid.
- Add the coconut milk, combine well, cover with a lid to allow the chickpeas to soak up the coconut milk curry, and simmer covered for 15 minutes.
- Uncover, add the spinach, combine well, and mix until the spinach has wilted by turning bright green and glossy. for about thirty seconds. Then remove from the heat, and taste for seasoning preference.
- Serve: Plate up half a cup of spiced brown rice per serving. Then ladle one cup of curried chickpeas on top per serving.
Video
Nutrition
Food safety
- Cook chicken to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C).
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat to prevent foodborne illness from contaminated uncooked meats.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat to prevent cross-contamination.
- Don't leave food at room temperature for extended periods; this can breed bacteria.
- Never leave cooking food unattended to prevent burns and fires.
- Use oils with a high smoke point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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