Last year, I discovered Alison Roman’s Spiced Chickpea Stew with Coconut and Turmeric, and I immediately fell in love. Since then, I’ve made a few adjustments of my own, including the use of an Instant Pot. This vegan-friendly stew is perfect for the approaching autumn months, but is also surprisingly tasty even in the summer.
This post may contain affiliate links.
To make this stew, you start by cooking garlic, onion and ginger in coconut oil until tender. Then, you stir in lots of turmeric, red pepper flakes and chickpeas. The original recipe calls for canned chickpeas. Here, I’m using dried chickpeas that have been soaked overnight. Canned chickpeas are such a wonderful convenience item, but I really do love the flavor and texture of soaked chickpeas more. And they cook up just as quickly when you use an Instant Pot!
Once the spices have sizzled a bit in the oil, you add coconut milk and stock, clamp on the lid, and cook under high pressure for just 15 minutes! After pressure releases, you stir in some kale and cook until wilted.
I also deviate from the original recipe when it comes to toppings. I like to ladle up a hot bowl of stew, then top with a spoonful of labneh, cilantro leaves and a sprinkling of toasted coconut and mustard seeds. You guys, this SO delish. Continue reading for the Spiced Chickpea Stew with Coconut and Turmeric recipe.
I love using dried/soaked chickpeas here, because I think they taste better, and they also have a pleasant texture when cooked properly in an Instant Pot. Alison Roman’s original recipe called for two cans of chickpeas, so to get the equivalent from dried, you need to start by soaking two cups of dried chickpeas in water overnight. Next, drain the chickpeas and measure out 500 grams (about 3 cups). Store any leftover chickpeas in the fridge and use for a different recipe!
While the stew is cooking, you can prepare the toppings. Start by toasting some unsweetened coconut flakes in a skillet just until they begin to brown. Then add black mustard seeds and cook until they start to pop. This toasted coconut topping adds some nice crunch to the stew while amping up the coconut flavor.
In addition to the toasted coconut, I love to serve this stew with labneh, a thick and tangy Middle Eastern yogurt, and fresh cilantro. But the beauty of stews like these, is that you can top it with whatever you like. I personally like to add something creamy, crunchy and fresh. Don’t have labneh? Try full fat Greek yogurt or even sour cream. Mustard seeds not in your pantry? Just sprinkle on toasted coconut or chopped, roasted peanuts. Hate cilantro? Use basil or parsley instead! You can really get creative with toppings.
Spiced Chickpea Stew with Coconut and Turmeric
Ingredients
- 350 grams (2 cups) dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 (2-inch) piece ginger, finely chopped
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 (15-ounce) cans full-fat coconut milk
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 bunch lacinato kale, stems removed, cut into bite-size pieces
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- 1/2 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
- 2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
Labeh (or full-fat Greek yogurt), for serving
Cilantro leaves, for serving
Instructions
- Drain soaked chickpeas, measure out 500 grams (about 3 cups), and set aside. Store any remaining chickpeas in the fridge for another use.
- Using the saute function, warm coconut oil on high in an Instant Pot. When it’s hot, stir in garlic, onion, ginger a pinch of salt and a few turns of black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft (about 5 minutes). Add turmeric, red pepper flakes and chickpeas, then cook, stirring frequently, just until you start seeing some brown bits form on the bottom of the pan (about 5 minutes).
- Add coconut milk and stock, then scrape up any brown bits that formed on the bottom of the pot. Stir in 1 teaspoon salt, cover and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally, then return the pot to the saute function. Using a wooden spoon, smash some of the chickpeas along the side of the pot, then stir in kale. Cook until the greens wilt and soften (about 5 minutes). Stir in lime juice, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
- While the stew is cooking, prepare the topping. Add coconut to a medium skillet over medium heat, and toast, stirring occasionally, until just golden at the edges (2 to 3 minutes). Stir in the mustard seeds and cook for 1 minute more.
- To serve, ladle soup into a bowl, then top with a dollop of labneh, fresh cilantro leaves and a sprinkling of toasted coconut and mustard seeds.
I’m Brandon: food explorer, recipe curator, cocktail shaker, dessert lover. Kitchen Konfidence is how I document my time spent in my favorite space, the kitchen. Did you make a recipe? Tag @brandiego on Instagram so I can see the how it went!
Jocelyn says
What to do for crock pot version? Sounds delicious.
Brandon Matzek says
Hey Jocelyn! I’ve actually never made this in the crock pot, but I’ve got some ideas for you. First, you won’t need to soak the chickpeas overnight – just start with dried/rinsed. Next, proceed with the same steps 1 and 2 above in a medium pot or in a removable crock pot insert, but don’t add the chickpeas (and you may want to cook the spices for just a minute or two). Then add the liquids and chickpeas, and return the mixture to a simmer. Transfer to a crock pot and cook for 4 hours on high or 8 to 9 hours on low. You’ll want to stir in the kale just before serve and let it wilt for about 5 minutes. If you give it a try, please let me know how it works out for you!! Thanks.
Anna says
Even the kids liked this recipe! This was tasty and easy to make. Making it again with lite coconut milk because that’s all we have on-hand.
Brandon Matzek says
Fantastic! Thanks for sharing Anna 🙂
Veronica says
This chickpea stew is easy to make and a great way to recharge yourself after a good workout, it’s so flavorful that I will be making this a part of my weekly menu!
Ann says
I’m new to both Instant Pot cooking and Alison Roman’s recipes. I made this exactly as described and it was delicious, rich and comforting. Thank you Brandon for the adaptation! I used vegetable broth to keep it vegan. I think Alison’s original recipe on the stovetop would in fact be faster (given the IP’s time to come up to pressure, then release pressure), but right now I don’t have a stovetop to work with so this was perfect for me. For the quantity of chickpeas, I suggest just using 300 g (or a scant 1.75 cups) of dried chickpeas. For me, after 12 hours soaking that equaled 3 cups soaked – by the time I was ready to cook, it was more like 4 cups but didn’t really matter to the finished recipe. I don’t know what I’d do with less than a cup of soaked but not cooked chickpeas. Once the turmeric is in, you might not want to use a wooden spoon as it will of course stain.
Brandon Matzek says
Hi Ann! So glad you enjoyed the recipe and thanks for the feedback. Agreed that my Instant Pot version isn’t particularly faster than the original recipe; however, I do like the flavor/texture of chickpeas cooked from dried compared to canned. The Instant Pot allows you to cook the beans very quickly! Also, great point about the using a wooden spoon. I stained mine while testing this recipe -_-
Linsey says
It is beautiful and delicious! I added too much on the red pepper flakes. Making it a little too hot for me, but hoping to reduce the heat with more coconut milk and lemon juice.
Brandon Matzek says
Hi Linsey, so glad you enjoyed the recipe!! Yeah, you can definitely tweak the spice level to taste here. Thanks for sharing!
Julie Page says
Amazing! Enjoyed so much…..will make again.
Thanks, Julie
Brandon Matzek says
So glad you enjoyed it Julie!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Lesley says
Hey ~ I’ve made this recipe many times on the stovetop (and it can be messy!) Just made it in the Instant Pot and, hands down, LOVE making it this way! Same deliciousness & no mess (outside the pot, of course). TY SO MUCH for this, Brandon. Lesley?
Brandon Matzek says
YAY! So glad you like this version. Thanks for sharing feedback.
Chelsea says
This was delicious and easy to make! I cooked it for my boyfriend who loves curries and it was such a hit he asked me to make again the next day. I used canned garbanzo beans and made it in the Dutch Oven on the stovetop because we don’t have a slow cooker. It was fantastic! I recommended it to my sister who is a vegetarian and is a working mom. It would be perfect as an easy, healthy and yummy meal for anyone.
Brandon Matzek says
Hey Chelsea! So glad you (and the bf!) enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Alyssa N DeHayes says
Any chance you have pointers on no-soak recipe / how much liquid to add?
Brandon Matzek says
Hi Alyssa! You may want to check out the original recipe if you are looking to make this with canned beans. I think they would probably turn to mush in the instant pot, so it would be best to simmer on the stovetop. Let me know if you have any other questions!
Alyssa N DeHayes says
Hi there! What I meant was, any pointers on liquid conversions if I’m using dried chickpeas, but they haven’t been soaked overnight? Besides… make it for tomorrow haha
Brandon Matzek says
Ah ha! Hmm unfortunately I don’t think there’s an easy answer here and I have not tested this recipe with unsoaked beans. I did a little research and it seems like a good ratio to follow is 8 cups of water to 1 pound of dried beans (454 grams). You would cook the beans for 35 to 40 minutes on high.
This recipe doesn’t use a pound of dried beans however. I’m also not sure if the added liquid will throw off the rest of the flavorings. If you test it out, please leave a comment with results. I’d love to hear how it goes and I’m sure other readers would enjoy the info as well.
Keith Harvey says
I pretty much slavishly followed the instructions, except I skipped one cup of stock (i.e., I used a Knorr stock gel and just one cup of water, not two) yet the stew still came out so thin in consistency that I keep wondering if I did something wrong. Two cups of stock and two cans of coconut milk would be a lot of liquid, yet the stew in Ms Roman’s video on YouTube looks a lot thicker than mine did. Given virtually no water vapour can evaporate from an Instant Pot during cooking, you must end up with what you started with (especially as the ingredients are neither absorbent nor thickening). I think I’ll try it on the stove top another time to see if that makes a difference.
Brandon Matzek says
Hey Keith! Thanks so much for the feedback. My version of the stew is a little on the thinner side, but I personally like the consistency, so I guess it’s a matter of taste!
In her original recipe, Alison mentions that you can keep on simmering the stew until you reach your desired thickness. To accomplish this using your Instant Pot, just keep simmering the stew once you hit the saute function in Step 3. You can mash the chickpeas, but hold off on adding the kale. Once you reach your desired thickness, stir in the kale and continue with the rest of the recipe.
I hope this helps!