Spiced Chickpea Stew Recipe
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The ultimate Spiced Chickpea Stew with coconut and turmeric, garlic, ginger and chili in a creamy coconut milk miso broth. It’s vegan, whole foods plant based recipe, completely oil, dairy and gluten free, easy to make and loaded with flavor.
Spiced Chickpea Stew with Coconut and Turmeric
The inspiration for this stew recipe comes from the vegetable curry bowl from P.F. Chang’s. The Batman and I decided to stop in for dinner one night and that was one of the two vegan items on their menu. True story!
So we both ordered the curry. It was absolutely loaded with steamed veggies, really filling and super tasty so I decided to remake it at home with my own twist. It actually reminded me a lot of this vegan ramen I made last year that everybody loved. A must make!
Here’s the deal: you can make the stew without chickpeas and use any cooked white beans instead, so don’t fret over the type of bean / pea used. They are all loaded with protein, low in fat, high in fiber and good for you. Just make sure it is a white colored variety or your flavors and colors will be totally off.
A really a hearty meal but you could make it even heartier by adding in some orzo pasta, dumplings, pearled couscous, soy curls and even some pan seared vegan sausage. Alternatively you can take it in a totally different direction with this Mediterranean version that features tomatoes, pasta and dark leafy greens.
The Miso Broth
I used some white chickpea miso I had in my refrigerator to whisk up an instant and delicious broth. You could of course use white soy miso (not red), plain water or any veggie stock you might have on hand instead. Work with what you’ve got! Miso is a healthy condiment but don’t take my word for it, this is what science has to say about it: miso nutrition facts.
How to Make Vegan Spiced Chickpea Stew
- Start by sautéing some aromatics: leeks, carrot, celery.
- Infuse everything with herbs and spices: turmeric ginger, garlic, chili and bay leaf then add your choice of beans / peas to the pot of goodness.
- Whisk together some miso paste and hot water for instant broth.
- Add the broth and coconut milk to the pot and let the stew simmer away.
- Puree about 1/3 of the stew and add it back into the pot.
- Load it up with your favorite greens and steamed veggies. I love green beans but whatever rocks your taste buds goes.
- Last but not least: hit it with a good squeeze of lemon or lime to balance out the richness of all the flavor.
Steamed veggies add ins suggestions:
- green beans or asparagus
- broccoli & cauliflower florets
- sweet potatoes or butternut squash
- artichoke hearts.
Dark leafy greens add ins:
- any type of kale
- mustard or dandelion greens
- baby spinach or bok choy
- Swiss chard.
Serving suggestions
- a good squeeze of lemon or lime
- a drizzle of pesto or harissa
- saffron infused coconut yogurt <—divine!
- vegan crusty bread or potato flatbread.
Storage
This chickpea stew keeps well in the refrigerator for a few days and also freezes well. Just make sure to let it cool off completely before transferring it to some freezer safe lidded glass bowls. It’s important to thaw out in the refrigerator before reheating.
Spiced Chickpea Stew with Coconut and Turmeric
The ultimate Spiced Chickpea Stew with turmeric, garlic, ginger and chili in a creamy coconut milk miso broth. It’s vegan, whole foods plant based recipe, completely oil, dairy and gluten free, easy to make and loaded with flavor.
Print Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 medium leek finely chopped & rinsed
- 1 carrot sliced into rounds
- 1 rib celery chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 X 15 oz canned chickpeas (or your favorite white beans, drained and rinsed)
- 1 leaf bay
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp ground ginger or 1 inch grated fresh ginger root
- 1/2 tsp chili powder or to taste
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast optional
- 2 x 15 oz cans coconut milk full fat
- 2.5 cups filtered water or veggie stock
- 2 tbsp chickpea miso paste
- 3 cups kale or baby bok choy (or your favorite dark leafy greens)
- 1/2 lb green beans or favorite veggies steamed
- 1 juicy lemon or lime
- 1/3 cup cilantro leaves for garnish
- sea salt + black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Slice the leek lengthwise then chop up the white and pale green parts only. Place in a fine sieve and rinse well.1 medium leek
- Preheat a cast iron pot (seasoned or enameled) over medium flame and sautee the leeks until wilted. Add the carrot and celery and cook together a few minutes until they start to soften. Add a little drop of olive oil or water if needed to create steam. (Omit olive oil for WFPB Plantricious diets).1 medium leek, 1 carrot, 1 rib celery
- Stir in the garlic then add the ginger, turmeric, chili powder, nutritional yeast and bay leaf.3 cloves garlic, 2 tsp turmeric, 2 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1 tbsp nutritional yeast, 1 leaf bay
- Add the chickpeas or white beans then stir in the coconut milk and two cups of water. Bring to a simmer. Cover with a lid and cook on low heat for 30 minutes.2 X 15 oz canned chickpeas, 2 x 15 oz cans coconut milk, 2.5 cups filtered water or veggie stock
- While the stew is cooking make sure to steam the green beans or whatever veggies you’d like to add here. It’s important not to overcook them so check every 5 minutes or so until the veggies are al dente. Transfer to a bowl and allow too cool until the soup is ready.1/2 lb green beans or favorite veggies steamed
- After 30 minutes have passed reserve about 1/3 of the stew (make sure to get a little bit of everything) and puree in a high speed blender until smooth and creamy. Add the puree back into the pot and combine.
- Add the chopped kale (stems removed), bok choy, or any of your favorite dark leafy greens and simmer a couple of minutes until wilted. Stir in your steamed green beans or whatever steamed veggies you decide to add here. Cauliflower, asparagus and even sweet potatoes would work.3 cups kale or baby bok choy, 1/2 lb green beans or favorite veggies steamed
- Heat up the remaining half cup of water and whisk in the chickpea miso until combined. Stir into the soup. Squeeze in a large juicy lemon or lime and adjust seasonings to taste with a little sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.2 tbsp chickpea miso paste, 1 juicy lemon or lime, sea salt + black pepper to taste
- Serve garnished with the fresh cilantro and red chili flakes to taste.1/3 cup cilantro leaves
Video
Notes
- Don’t add too much turmeric as it can be overpowering, less is more.
- You can use ground ginger or fresh ginger root, no peeling needed, just mince it well.
- It’s very important to brighten up the stew with some freshly squeezed lemon juice. Taste it before and after you add the lemon and see which you prefer.
- If planning to cook chickpeas from scratch make sure to soak them for 6-8 hours before boiling them with herbs and spices until tender.
Nutrition
Calories: 108kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 378mg | Potassium: 621mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 8539IU | Vitamin C: 87mg | Calcium: 139mg | Iron: 3mg
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 108kcal
This looks and sounds amazing, off to make some right now!
Such an amazing recipe! Colorful and delish!
Yeah I’m a cook for a Reed College and I make the soups for the students and I’m always interested in a good protein vegan recipe and I’m really going to try this but I’ll probably put some twist in it and I’ll let you know how it turned out thank you for posting it have a good day
Awesome, report back with your review and let us know what you changed / improved so we can try it your way too! ~ Florentina Xo’s
I am literally eating this as I’m writing this comment. This tastes incredible. Almost reminds me of cheddar potato chowder. So comforting and amazing flavor. I’m probably going to make this 100 times! I did recipe completely as written, added kale, green beans, and used veggie stock instead of water. Thank you so much for this recipe!
So stoked you love it Shawnda and thank you for making the time to review the recipe ~ Florentina Xo’s
The recipe looks great, but the nutritional stats appear WAY off. I saw two cans of full fat coconut milk and thought no way that is 95 calories. I ran it through my fitness pal and got 629 calories per serving with four servings, which seems much closer to accurate. I try to stick with recipes that are under 500 calories (preferably closer to 300-400 calories) so a closer estimation of the nutritional stats is important to me. I know others may not care, but wanted to point this out. Thanks.
Hi Kimberly, you are correct, there is a glitch in the Nutrition calculator inside the recipe card. I’ve tried recalculating a few times and things don’t add up so I’ll follow up with the developer to resolve the issues. Sorry for the confusion. ~ Florentina
This is a beautiful tasty stew. I added spinach, green peas and sweet potatoes. My husband asked if he would be a total pig if he had three full bowls ! The freshly squeezed lemon takes it to a whole new level. Used fresh ginger as I love the flavour. This recipe is a keeper. My adult son will also love this stew as it is not too spicy from the turmeric. Delicious on this cold November night. Going to try more of your recipes Florentine very impressed 🌱
So happy your family loved it Maria! Hope you find a few more favorite recipes from our blog ~ Florentina Xo’s
This was so delicious! I made with white miso. My husband and teenagers also really enjoyed it. Will definitely make it again and would possibly add some sweet potato to bulk it out. Thank you for a great recipe!
Loved this! Added cabbage, green beans and peas. Also just used one can of coconut milk and subbed one can of chickpeas for pinto beans. So good. Will definitely make again.