Chickpea Peanut Stew
I recognize that this recipe will not appeal to everyone but to those who steer towards vegetarian (or would like to incorporate more meatless meals into their diet), like rich, hearty flavors and are interested in venturing off the beaten path, this Chickpea Peanut Stew from Soup Addict is for you. Based loosely on West African Peanut Soup (one of my all time favorite soups), this stew is delicious served over rice, cauliflower rice or a combination of the two. It’s mild enough that no one will be offended but feel free to do as I do which is to amp up the heat by adding a touch of cayenne, a splash of hot sauce or some sliced hot peppers as a garnish. I adjusted the recipe slightly (as reflected in the recipe) by adding an additional can of chickpeas, substituting a can of diced tomatoes with these fabulous canned cherry tomatoes that I’ve recently noticed in the supermarket (I am loving them during the winter tomato draught) and adding a squeeze of lime at the end. All in all, this is a “different” recipe that is worth a try. You just may fall in love. Enjoy!
Chickpea Peanut Stew
Ingredients
- 2 Tbls neutral oil, divided
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 1 green chile, minced
- 2 Tbls tomato paste
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp mild curry powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 Tbls all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 c vegetable broth, divided
- 1/2 c peanut butter
- 15 ounce can diced tomatoes or canned cherry tomatoes with liquid
- 1/3 c coconut milk
- 2-15 oz cans chickpeas
- 1 cup spinach sliced chiffonade (I substituted baby bok choy)
- cilantro minced, for garnish
- peanuts chopped, for garnish
- lime, sliced, for serving
- cooked rice or cauliflower rice for serving
Instructions
- For the stew:
- Heat 1 Tbls of oil in a large saute pan over medium until shimmering. Add the onions and peppers and cook until soft.
- Push the veggies to one side of the pan and add the remaining oil to the cleared side.
- Add the tomato paste, paprika, curry, garlic powder and salt to the oil and stir to create a thick, fragrant paste. Stir into the onion mixture.
- Sprinkle the flour over the veggies and pour in a splash of vegetable broth to loosen. Cook for a minute or two, until the mixture is thick.
- For the peanut sauce:
- In a blender, combine the peanut butter, 1/2 cup of the vegetable broth, and 1/2 of the can of tomatoes.
- Add the peanut sauce, and the remaining broth* and tomatoes to vegetables and mix well.
- Raise the heat to medium-high, and bring to a low boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low, stir in the coconut milk, chickpeas, and spinach (or bok choy), and warm through for 5 minutes, until the greens are wilted.
- Taste, and add more salt if needed. Hold on low heat until ready to serve over rice, garnished with cilantro, peanuts and a squeeze of lime.
Notes
*After adding the peanut sauce to the saute pan, you may want to run some of the broth in the blender to get the remaining sauce into the pan.
Follow
