I don’t remember who sent me the New York Times article for this recipe. It might have been my dad, but I’m not 100% sure.

It’s been saved in my “Recipes” bookmarks for a while, and I’ve looked at it constantly, I just never got round to making it. I finally got round to it over the Christmas holidays, and I don’t know why it too me so long to make it! It’s delicious. Filling, comforting, full of flavour. What’s not to like?

I’ve had it with rice and flatbread, and both work amazingly well. I’ve had it with and without sour cream and Greek yoghurt, both taste divine.

There’s a huge movement on social media for Veganuary, (trying to be vegan for January) which seems like a great idea in terms of cutting down on meat consumption and reducing greenhouse gases. Eating more vegetables is great! But I don’t think it should be a fad for people to try for a month. I think there should be a bigger push for people to simply eat more sustainably, to shop more ethically, and to think before they wrap something in plastic. That, to me, is far more important, than people trying to try veganism.

I’m also thinking about not having REAL cheese and milk chocolate, so there’s my selfish side of the argument coming out.

I could go on rambling for a while, but I won’t. I’ll simply leave you with the understanding that this vegetarian-friendly (vegan if you don’t have the sour cream) dish is delicious, and you should all try it.

Ingredients

60 ml olive oil
8 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, diced
2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
2 x 440 grams tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 x 400 ml coconut milk
750 ml homemade vegetable or chicken stock
2 large handfuls baby spinach, rinsed
salt
pepper
sour cream, for serving
rice, cooked, for serving

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat, and add garlic, onion, and ginger. Add salt and pepper to taste, stirring occasionally until onion is soft and starting to brown.
2. Add turmeric, chilli flakes, and chickpeas. Stir well to incorporate. Cook, stirring frequently until the chickpeas start to brown and crisp. Remove a handful of chickpeas and set aside for garnish (if desired).
3. Crush the remaining chickpeas in the pot slightly, using a wooden spoon. Add the stock and coconut milk and season with more salt and pepper.
4. Bring to a simmer, and continually scrape the bits off the bottom of the pan. Allow to simmer for 40 – 50 minutes until stew has reduced and thickened to liking. If you want a thicker stew, you may need to simmer for longer.
5. Add spinach and stir through. Cook for 3 minutes, to soften the spinach.
6. Divide among 4 bowls with equal parts of rice and the garnishing chickpeas. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.