Easy sweet potato and chickpea curry, it's vegan and simple to adapt to the vegetables & pulses you have in the fridge and cupboards.
Our Easy Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry is another recipe that we both make regularly and yet had failed to share with you on the Healthy Twists recipe pages. It’s one of our go-to keep the weeknight meal simple, full of flavour and nutritious recipes, that the whole family does eat and enjoy.
Do I have to roast the sweet potato?
Roasting the sweet potato for the easy sweet potato and chickpea curry adds a delicious depth of flavour. The pieces of sweet potato turn perfectly tender and caramelise on the edges.
Alternatively, you could steam the sweet potato or add the sweet potato cubes to the curry raw, but the flavour would not be as good, and the cooking time would need to be increased to ensure they are cooked through. But the sweet potato wouldn’t be quite as flavoursome.
Cooking the spices & tomato paste
This is a really important step in cooking the easy sweet potato and chickpea curry. Both the dried spices and the tomato paste need to cook in the pan before adding any liquid. Frying the spices with the vegetables and the oil before adding the coconut milk, releases a fuller flavour from all the spices. You need to cook them through for a few minutes until a lovely aroma fills the kitchen, but don’t let the spices burn.
The same applies to the tomato paste. It releases a fuller more caramelised flavour if it is cooked first before adding the coconut milk.
What other vegetables could I use in the easy sweet potato and chickpea curry?
We love the combination of vegetables in the curry that we have used, but we like our recipes to be flexible to suit what you may have in your fridge or cupboards. For example;
The spinach could be substituted for kale (remove the stalks).
New potatoes are a brilliant addition to any curry, so cut into cubes and they can be added in place of the sweet potato. To speed up the cooking process par-boil them first.
Florets of cauliflower also work well with the curry sauce.
Small cubed pieces of aubergine is also delicious in a curry.
Which coconut milk should I use?
There are many tins of coconut milk available on supermarket shelves both own brand and branded. There is definitely a difference in quality, and you will find that many supermarkets’ own brand coconut milk will have stabilisers and emulsifiers and a lower coconut content. However, they will make a tasty easy sweet potato and chickpea curry.
We like to use Biona, as the ingredients are simply coconut and water and contain no added stabilisers. It also contains a higher percentage of coconut.
The ‘light’ or ‘reduced fat’ versions will have less of the solid creamy coconut at the top of the tin so won’t make such a rich curry.
Flavour additions to the easy sweet potato and chickpea curry
Stir through a heaped tablespoon of either peanut or almond butter to the curry towards the end of cooking for a richer flavour.
What to serve with the easy sweet potato and chickpea curry?
The easy sweet potato and chickpea curry is delicious served with rice or your favourite flatbreads to mop up the sauce. Add more fresh coriander leaves and slices of fresh chilli if you’d like it spicier.
We don’t add a lot of spiced heat to the curry as it is eaten by children of all ages and most younger taste buds don’t enjoy the heat.
What equipment do I need for the Easy Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry?
A high-sided wide pan with a lid works well. We use a 24cm Le Creuset pan which we’ve had for years. There are many similar pans available to buy in all price ranges and the supermarkets are a great place to look.
How to store any leftovers
Fully cool any leftover easy sweet potato and chickpea curry and store it in a container in the fridge and eat within a couple of days. It also freezes really well and it’s perfect for an easy mid-week meal.
Cost of the Easy Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry
We’ve worked out the cost to make the curry and how much it is per portion.
An easy sweet potato and chickpea curry, full of flavour and a variety of vegetables. Ideal for batch cooking and freezing.
Ingredients
Scale
1 large sweet potato (about 300g skin on) peeled & cut into 2cm cubed
3–4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, finely grated
2 cm fresh ginger, finely grated
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp mild or medium curry powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 courgette, roughly chopped
1 sweet red pepper, diced into bite-sized pieces
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 x 400g tin coconut milk
1 x 400g chickpeas, drained
80g fresh spinach, roughly chopped
1 small handful fresh (10g) coriander
Salt and pepper, to taste
To serve
Brown rice
Naan or flatbreads
Fresh slices of chilli
Instructions
Pre-heat the oven to 200°C fan.
Cover a medium sized baking tray with foil or baking paper, spread out the cubed sweet potato. Lightly drizzle over 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin oil, a grind of salt and pepper then place the tray in the centre of oven to cook for 25 minutes.
Over a medium heat place a large pan and warm before adding add a small glug of extra virgin olive oil, then add the onion. Cook for 6 minutes until the onion starts to soften. Tip in the courgettes and peppers stir through and add the garlic and ginger and stir. Cook for 5 minutes.
Add the tomato puree and all the spices. Stir this through the vegetables for a few minutes until the spices start to give off a wonderfully strong aroma.
Tip in the chickpeas and pour in the coconut milk then bring to a gentle simmer.
Add the maple syrup, stir and then place a lid over the pan (leaving it ajar with a wooden spoon). Cook until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Now tip in the roasted sweet potato, and the spinach along with a grind of salt and pepper to taste. Stir. Once the spinach starts to soften add the fresh coriander and stir through.
Notes
To serve.
Sometimes we share the easy sweet potato curry between large bowls and enjoy with a few fresh coriander leaves and slices of fresh chilli. Otherwise we serve with brown, red or black rice.
Leave the curry to cool before placing in a container with a lid. Keep in the fridge and eat within a couple of days. The curry will also freeze well.
60 Easy & Nutritious Vegan Meals that Kids Will Love.
We really want home cooks to explore and enjoy eating delicious plant-based meals, desserts, baking, batch cooking, making easy weeknight meals and starting the day off with amazing breakfasts. That’s why we created The Plant-Based Family Cookbook. It’s filled with vibrant recipes that we can’t wait for you to try! Ideal if you are vegan and the recipes are easy to make gluten-free.
This is our guide to vegan ingredient alternatives. What’s more this guide will help resolve many of the questions home cooks can have when they start to create vegan recipes.
60 Easy & Nutritious Vegan Meals that Kids Will Love.
