Real Food Friday: Spinach & Chickpea Curry

This past winter I had the lucky opportunity to visit India. On this trip I ate my fair share of curry. It is one of my favorite go to dishes at home in the winter as well as the summer.

It may seem counter intuitive to have a spicy, hot curry in the summer, but it is actually one of the best times to have a curry! The spices that are commonly used in Indian cooking, such as turmeric, cumin, coriander and dried chillies, promote prespiration, which actually cools your body down naturally from the inside out. This is why Indians rely on spicy food in their naturally hot climate.

The preperation of this curry is quick and easy! It can also be easily modified to be vegan or vegetarian depending on your preference/dietary restrictions. It can be eaten alone or with rice, quinoa or zucchini noodles. When I make it at home I usually do a double batch so that I get a few quick, easy and nutrition meals over the next few days.

This a modified Jamie Oliver recipe. For those who do not know Jamie Oliver, he is a extremely popular chef and relentless crusader in the real food movement. He believes in the power of families getting back in the kitchen to cook up nutritious, healthy meals together. His recipes tend to be simple, fast and taste fantastic. So get your family together and make a meal together this week!

*This recipe will require a mortar and pestle.

Spinach & Chickpea Curry (Chicken optional)

Serves 3- 4

• 1 can (420g) of cooked chick peas, drain and rinse

• 1 heaped cup of frozen spinach,defrosted (or use about 4 handfuls of fresh spinach)

• 1 large onion, finely sliced

• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

• 1 can (420g) of chopped tomatoes

• A little bit of ghee or oil for frying

• Curry paste:

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp ground coriander

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

• 1/2 tsp onion powder

• 1/2 tsp garam masala

• Small bunch of fresh coriander, roughly chopped

• 1 red chilli, finely sliced

• Juice of 1/2 lemon

• 2 tbsps oil (vegetable, olive etc)

• 1/2 tsp salt

• Chicken (optional)

• Rice, quinoa or zucchini noodles

First, make your curry paste. Place all of the ingredients in a mortar and work the mixture into a paste. In a large frying pan heat a bit of oil/ghee and fry the sliced onions over a medium heat till soft and golden. Add the garlic and fry for just a minute or two. Add the curry paste to the onions and fry over a gentle heat for approx. 2-3 minutes before adding the chickpeas and tinned tomatoes to the pan. If you are adding chicken, you should dice it up and add it now. Cover then cook over a medium heat for approx.15 mins, stirring regularly (if it gets too dry add just a dash of water or stock). Add the spinach to the pan and cook for another minute or two. Adjust seasoning if neccesary. Serve with rice, quinoa or zucchini noodles.

To make this recipe vegan replace ghee with coconut oil. You can also add free-range local chicken.

Enjoy the heat,

Cayla Lou

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