Spiced potatoes, chickpeas and carrots are simmered in a savory vegetable broth with spinach and plump raisins. Toasted cashews and fresh lemon juice add crunch and freshness to this hearty Indian Chickpea Stew!
The leftovers from this Indian Chickpea Stew were consumed for breakfast in my house.
True story.
I’m pretty much obsessed with anything and everything Indian food, and this vegan Indian recipe hits the spot every single time.
This vegan Indian chickpea stew calls for one of my all time favorite ingredients: garam masala.
Garam masala is a delicious Indian spice blend which you can either make yourself or purchase pre-mixed if you want to save some time. I love using this blend from Simply Organic – it’s my very favorite.
Once you add a little garam masala to this vegan stew your whole kitchen will smell like heavenly Indian food and you’ll wonder how you ever lived without a supply of this spice mix on hand.
My favorite part of this chickpea and potato stew (other than the garam masala, of course) are the plump, sweet raisins. I love when a dish has a little sweetness to it!
My second favorite part has to be the toasted cashews. They add so much flavor and a much-needed crunch to this hearty vegan potato stew.
You can gobble this up as is, or do as I do and serve it atop a bed of basmati rice. Dinnertime perfection!
Indian Chickpea Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 carrots - cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 pound yukon gold potatoes - peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic - about 2 cloves
- 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 14- ounce can chickpeas - drained and rinsed
- 4 tablespoons raisins
- 1/3 cup cashew pieces
- 3 cups baby spinach leaves
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the carrot, potato, garam masala and cumin. Saute for 1 minute, then add the garlic and onion and stir well.
- Pour in the vegetable broth and allow the mixture to boil for 2 minutes. Add the chickpeas and the raisins, cover the pan, and turn the heat down to medium-low. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Meanwhile, place a dry saute pan over medium heat and toast the cashews, stirring frequently, for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Once the stew is done simmering, stir in the spinach and allow it to wilt for 1 minute. Stir in the cilantro leaves and lemon juice. Sprinkle the cashews over the top before serving.
Nutrition
I recently tried the chicken korma recipe from this site and sadly did not enjoy it. I wanted to try another Indian recipe so I opted for this one. Unfortunately this wasn’t a hit either. I found both dishes pretty bland and without flavour, except for being quite bitter. I wonder if it is the garam masala.
Hi, Abigail! I’m so sorry to hear that the recipes didn’t turn out to your liking. I make both of these pretty frequently and I love how they taste! I’ve had the same experience with garam masala before, which can sometimes turn bitter if it isn’t very fresh. I buy mine from Simple Organic, which you can find on Amazon.
Good garam masala is amazing, but once spices are ground the deteriorate quickly. Look for a recipe and make your own garam masala from whole spices. Keep it tightly covered in a dark place or in a tin container. Use as desired. I desire to use it in many food preparations — not only those that are “Indian”.
Such a healthy meal!! I added salt and pepper because salt can really help bring out the flavors in the other spices. I noticed without the salt it can be pretty bland. I also added some arrow root powder to thicken up the sauce a bit 🙂 and I paired it with some basmati rice. thank you so much this is amazing!
Hi Liz,
Thanks for sharing your changes.
– Linda
Made this tonight and it was so delicious! Didn’t have garam masala so I used regular curry powder and added some sriracha and ginger. Also didn’t have raisins, so I used a heaping spoonful of brown sugar. It was so good! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Sounds tasty! I love curry powder 🙂
This was so good! The second the spices hit the hot oil in the pan, I was in heaven! I used chicken instead of veggie broth because that’s what I had.
Delicious!
I added some salt because I used vegetable stock & doubled the amount of garam masala (I like it spicy…).
The raisins go really well with the sweet spices, and the cashews definitely complement the “mushy” texture of the stew!
5 stars 🙂
Awesome, Gabrielle! I definitely think the raisins and cashews make the dish 🙂
This looks sooooo good! I will definitely be making it! Love the flavors, sounds good for breakfast! Ha.