Spiced chickpea, sweet potato and spinach stew

Serves: 4
Course: Main Course
Cooking Time: 1 hr 0 mins
Ingredients
  • For the paste
  • 2 tsp coriander
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 2 red chilli, de-seeded
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • Knob ginger
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • For the stew
  • 2 courgettes, diced into bite size chunks
  • 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into bite-size chunks
  • 2 red peppers
  • 2 tins of chickpeas
  • 300ml vegetable stock
  • 1 tin of coconut milk
  • 250g baby spinach leaves
  • To serve
  • 200 ml Greek yogurt
  • Handful of coriander
  • Toasted coconut flakes

This is quick and easy to make. It will last a few days in the fridge – in fact the flavour improves with age. A warming hearty winter stew. Tastes even better on day two.

To start, blitz all the ingredients for the paste together in a food processor.

Put a large heavy-based saucepan on a medium heat, add a good splash of sunflower oil, then add the spice paste, stir for a minute or two to release the flavour then add the courgette, sweet potato, pepper, chickpeas and stir making sure to coat all the vegetables in the spice paste.

Pour the vegetable stock over the vegetables and allow to simmer for 20 minutes, then add the tin of coconut milk and cook for a further 15 minutes. Just before you are ready to serve, stir in the spinach.

Serve in hot bowls with a dollop of yoghurt, some chopped coriander and toasted flaked coconut

Eunice Power

Eunice Power

Eunice Power, a contributor to The Irish Times, is a chef and food writer based in Co Waterford