Thai Almond Chickpea Curry

Get enchanted by the aromatic mingling of nutty coconut sauce infused with lime, ginger, and curry spices while this dish is baking. It’s a deeply flavorful dish that is almost effortless in preparation. The result? A restaurant-style meal that you can serve over cauliflower rice or your favorite whole grain. 

Thai Almond Chickpea Curry

Ingredients

Sauce

 1 medium-large garlic clove

 ½ tsp salt (optional, to taste)

 3 tbsp lime juice (freshly squeezed, zest limes first [see below])

 14 oz lite coconut milk (BPA-free can)

 ¼ cup almond butter (raw or roasted)

 ½ tbsp organic tamari (reduced-sodium, or coconut aminos)

 1 ½ tbsp ginger root (peeled and roughly chopped)

 1 ½ tbsp red curry paste (+½ Tbsp as desired)

 crushed red pepper flakes (optional, to taste)

 ½ tsp organic lime zest (zest before juicing)

Chickpea Mixture

 3 cups chickpeas (+1 cup as desired, homemade or BPA-free canned, drained)

 1 cup red pepper (diced)

 1 cup zucchini (diced)

 ¾ cup green onion (mostly white bottom portion)

 2 tbsp Thai basil (+1 Tbsp as desired, chopped fresh, or ¼ cup chopped cilantro)

 3 lime wedges (for serving)

Directions

1

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2

First, prepare the sauce: In a blender, or using a deep large cup and an immersion blender, combine the garlic, sea salt if using, lime juice, coconut milk, almond butter, tamari, ginger, and curry paste. Puree well. Pour the sauce into a baking dish (8 by 12-inch, or similar size) and stir in the red pepper flakes and zest.

3

Add the chickpeas, red pepper, zucchini, green onions, and stir well. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 25–30 minutes.

4

Then remove the foil, stir through, and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes uncovered. The sauce should thicken but can become too thick, so keep an eye on it, and remove once it begins to thicken, so it doesn’t become pasty.

5

Remove from oven, stir in the fresh herbs, and add any extra seasoning to taste (e.g., salt, crushed pepper, hot sauce).

6

Serve, topping the portions with extra fresh herbs, if desired, and with a lime wedge on the side.

Chef's Notes

Nut butter
Almond butter is my first choice in this recipe, but consider switching it up occasionally with natural peanut or cashew butter in place of the almond.

Vary the Vegetables
Feel free to substitute other veggies in part or in whole for the red pepper and zucchini. Other veggies to consider are steamed cauliflower, steamed potatoes, and green beans.

Herbs
Fresh basil or cilantro is a delicious addition to this curry. However, if you don’t have either one, the curry will still have plenty of flavor. If using, the flavor will be most vibrant when added at the end of cooking, just before serving.

Serving suggestions
This is delicious served with jasmine rice! You can also try any rice you love or serve with quinoa.

https://foodrevolution.org/recipes/thai-almond-chickpea-curry/