Chicken And Chickpea Curry

Sometimes you just want satisfying. Chicken and chickpea curry delivers. Simple, balanced and delicious. It’s the real deal.

This is not a famous Indian dish. Not likely a curry you’ve heard of. But it’s one I like. So I’m sharing.

I came up with this one night because I needed dinner. No plan. Zero research. No thinking.

Chicken. Chickpeas. Potatoes. And an appetite. That’s what I had. And chicken and chickpea curry is what I came up with.

I was not thinking blog post. Wasn’t thinking anything really. Except that I was hungry. Turns out I liked it. So here it is.

Chicken and chickpea curry. Done easy restaurant style. Pretty sure it’s not on any menu I’ve ever seen. But good enough I’m writing it down. So I remember to make it again. And again.

This isn’t murgh cholay by the way. If that’s what you are looking for this isn’t it. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Easy restaurant style curry

Ever wonder why all the recipes on the internet never turn out like what you get in Indian restaurants? There’s a reason. And it’s not you. It’s because restaurants come at it in a completely different way.

Restaurant curries rely on stuff like curry base. And pre-cooked chicken. A lot of prep. Just what you’d expect in a restaurant. They have to crank curries out in 10 minutes. That’s a whole different world.

Easy restaurant style gets you the taste without the prep. No curry base required. I’m not saying I don’t like cooking with curry base. Just saying if you don’t have any – or don’t feel like making any – there is another way.

Chicken and chickpea curry is a standalone meal

This is all in one. You can serve it like you would a regular curry. Wth rice. Some dal. Like in the pictures.

Or you can just eat it as is. Might not quite serve 4 if you go that route. But it is a solid meal on it’s own. Potatoes. Chickpeas. And chicken curry. Hearty fare.

I cooked up a storm to take these pictures. Dal. Rice. Eggplant curry. Almost made some parathas. So I could get the shot. I ate way too much for dinner.

So make chicken and chickpea curry when you want to make one dish. A really tasty dish. Don’t worry about rice. Or sides. Just make it. Spoon it into a bowl. Maybe a paratha or chapati to go with it. Enjoy.

Chicken and chickpea curry. Could be the most satisfying curry you’ve never heard of.

chicken and chickpea curry

Ingredients

The onion paste

• 2 cups onions – coarsely chopped
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 cup water

The spice mix

• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp mild kashmiri chili powder
• 1 tsp kasoor methi – dried fenugreek leaves
• 1 tsp kosher salt – use a bit less if you are using table salt

Chicken and chickpea curry

• 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 3 pieces per thigh.
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp garlic ginger paste – see notes
• the spice mix
• the onion paste
• 15 oz chickpeas one can
• 1 cup small waxy potatoes – or chunks of a large waxy potato
• 1 cup cilantro – coarsely chopped
• 1/2 lemon juiced

Instructions

The onion paste

• Place the onions in a microwave safe dish and cover loosely. Microwave at 70 percent until the onions are soft and translucent. This takes about 10 minutes in my 1100 watt microwave oven.
• Remove the onions from the microwave. Be careful. They will be hot. Like burn you with the steam hot. Let them cool slightly.
• Place the onions, 2 tbsp vegetable oil and 1 cup of warm water in a blender and puree until smooth. Set aside.

chicken and chickpea curry

• In a small bowl, combine the coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric, Kashmiri chili powder, kasoor methi and salt. This is your spice mix. It goes in after the garlic ginger paste.
• Heat 4 tbsp vegetable oil in a pot over medium heat until it shimmers.
• Add the garlic ginger paste. Cook until the garlic ginger paste stops spluttering.
• Turn the heat to medium low. Add the spice mix. Stir continuously until it starts to smell really good. This takes around 30-40 seconds. Watch it carefully. If you burn the spices at this point you have to start over. This is called blooming the spices. It is one of the secrets to Indian cooking. Works well in Mexican cooking as well.
• Add half the onion paste. Stir to combine. Cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes. It is going to splatter. Be warned.
• Add the remaining onion paste. Cook another 2 minutes or so.
• Turn the heat to medium low. Add the potatoes and chickpeas. Cook for around 20 minutes. The potatoes should be nearly done.
• Now add the chicken and stir. Cover and simmer until the chicken is done. It’s done when you measure the internal temperature and it says 170F. That takes about 12-15 minutes. An instant read thermometer is a handy thing to have here…
• If the curry is a bit thick add a bit of water or chicken stock and stir. Add the diced and cilantro and lemon juice. Let the chicken masala simmer another minute or so. Taste for salt and adjust as needed.
• Garnish with a bit more cilantro if desired.

Notes

Nutrition

chicken and chickpea curry

Ingredients

The onion paste

• 2 cups onions - coarsely chopped
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 cup water

The spice mix

• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp mild kashmiri chili powder
• 1 tsp kasoor methi - dried fenugreek leaves
• 1 tsp kosher salt - use a bit less if you are using table salt

Chicken and chickpea curry

• 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 3 pieces per thigh.
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp garlic ginger paste - see notes
• the spice mix
• the onion paste
• 15 oz chickpeas one can
• 1 cup small waxy potatoes - or chunks of a large waxy potato
• 1 cup cilantro - coarsely chopped
• 1/2 lemon juiced

Instructions

The onion paste

• Place the onions in a microwave safe dish and cover loosely. Microwave at 70 percent until the onions are soft and translucent. This takes about 10 minutes in my 1100 watt microwave oven.
• Remove the onions from the microwave. Be careful. They will be hot. Like burn you with the steam hot. Let them cool slightly.
• Place the onions, 2 tbsp vegetable oil and 1 cup of warm water in a blender and puree until smooth. Set aside.

chicken and chickpea curry

• In a small bowl, combine the coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric, Kashmiri chili powder, kasoor methi and salt. This is your spice mix. It goes in after the garlic ginger paste.
• Heat 4 tbsp vegetable oil in a pot over medium heat until it shimmers.
• Add the garlic ginger paste. Cook until the garlic ginger paste stops spluttering.
• Turn the heat to medium low. Add the spice mix. Stir continuously until it starts to smell really good. This takes around 30-40 seconds. Watch it carefully. If you burn the spices at this point you have to start over. This is called blooming the spices. It is one of the secrets to Indian cooking. Works well in Mexican cooking as well.
• Add half the onion paste. Stir to combine. Cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes. It is going to splatter. Be warned.
• Add the remaining onion paste. Cook another 2 minutes or so.
• Turn the heat to medium low. Add the potatoes and chickpeas. Cook for around 20 minutes. The potatoes should be nearly done.
• Now add the chicken and stir. Cover and simmer until the chicken is done. It’s done when you measure the internal temperature and it says 170F. That takes about 12-15 minutes. An instant read thermometer is a handy thing to have here…
• If the curry is a bit thick add a bit of water or chicken stock and stir. Add the diced and cilantro and lemon juice. Let the chicken masala simmer another minute or so. Taste for salt and adjust as needed.
• Garnish with a bit more cilantro if desired.

Notes

Nutrition

Think beefy broth. A hint of lemongrass. Beef. Star anise. Rice noodles. And some bun bo Hue spice to fire it all up. That’s what this beef Vietnamese inspired noodle soup is all about.

I love Vietnamese noodle soups. I’m actually crazy for them. Seriously. I have a problem. If you are like me, I’m guessing this is one you’ll like. A lot.

It’s not a famous dish. Not even a dish really. Just something I came up with to get my fix of noodle soup. I wasn’t planning to write it down. But once I tasted it, I had to do it. So I would remember to make it again. And again. And again.

Beef noodle soup all about the broth

It starts with the broth. It always starts with the broth. It’s a riff on pho. But faster. Easier.

Beef ribs. That’s the secret to this broth. Meaty beef ribs. The ones that come with a prime rib roast. You can get them at your butcher. Anywhere that sells rib eye steaks really. A rib eye is just prime rib without the ribs. Sliced into steaks.

Talk to your butcher. Beef ribs are usually pretty cheap. Offer to pay a little extra for meaty ones though. Some places trim close to the bone. That won’t work as well.

Or use the ribs leftover from a prime rib roast. That’s what I did the first time I made this. A little leftover beef. The ribs. Beef noodle soup magic from leftovers.

If you buy beef ribs the key is to roast them off. Not for long. Maybe 30-40 minutes. You want good browning. It’s amazing how big a difference roasting the ribs makes. Brown is better.

You don’t want to render all the fat though. Some of that luscious beef fat needs to go into the soup. Don’t worry though. You’ll tweak the fat content along the way…

This is really simplified bun bo Hue

Never heard of bun bo Hue? Too bad. It’s the other Vietnamese noodle soup. Pho’s spicy cousin. Not as famous. Not yet. It will come. It’s crazy delicious stuff.

Next time you’re out for Vietnamese, try it. If you like a little bit spicy it’s a great way to mix things up. Could become your new go to beef noodle soup. It’s hard to beat a good bowl of pho. But bun bo Hue gives it a run for its money.

The spicing in this soup is not far off bun bo Hue. I found this stuff called gia vi bun bo Hue spice mix while poking around my local Vietnamese grocer. Cost a dollar. Not worth trying to make it for that price.

If you do want to make it, the ingredients are paprika, chili, onion, ginger and garlic. The order of ingredients is most to least if you want to try. I haven’t tried replicating it yet myself. Did I mention it costs a dollar?

Before you beat me up for this remember I said it was an easier version. Simplified. No shrimp paste. No pork broth. Or cha hue. But no prefab soup base either.

Perfect noodles makes perfect beef noodle soup

You need to be careful with rice noodles. It’s easy to overcook them. Overcooked noodles are mushy noodles. Mushy noodles make bad beef noodle soup.

No matter how good everything else is, everyone will remember the noodles. Sad. But true.

There’s an easy way to get them right every time. Soak your rice noodles in cold water for about 30 minutes. That softens them up.

Then drop them in boiling water for somewhere between 30 seconds and a minute. Test them along the way. As soon as they are soft but still toothy pull them. Run them under cold water.

They will cook a little more in the broth. That’s why you want them still a bit toothy when you serve the soup. Cook them completely they and they will turn to mush once the broth hits them.

It’s an easy trick but an important one.

Put it all together

Once you have the broth done it’s a snap to serve this beef noodle soup. Put a good handful of noodles in each bowl. Add in meat from the braised bones. Top with some sliced beef. A few thin slices of shallot. Some green onion.

Pour the broth overtop and garnish with culantro (not a typo), cilantro and Thai basil. A bit of hoisin and sriracha on the side makes a great dip for the beef.

Then sit down and dig into a big, steaming bowl of delicious.

spicy beef noodle soup

Ingredients

The broth

• 3 lbs meaty beef ribs About 4 good sized ribs.
• 6 cups chicken stock no sodium
• 2 stalks lemongrass well-bruised
• 1-2 large shallots
• 1 whole star anise
• 1 black cardamom pod
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp gia vi bun bo Hue spice mix from your Asian grocer (or see in the text above for ingredients). You likely won’t need all of it.
• 2 tbsp reserved beef fat skimmed from the broth
• salt to taste creep up on it. Probably somewhere between 1/2-1 tsp total.

Spicy beef noodle soup

• 6 oz rice noodles
• 6 oz sirloin Chinese fondue beef. Leftover prime rib is good here too.
• 6 oz reserved rib meat if you choose to use it.
• 1 shallot thinly sliced
• 1 green onion thinly sliced
• culantro, basil, cilantro, red chili slices and bean sprouts to garnish
• lime, hoisin and sriracha to serve

Instructions

Make the broth

• Roast the beef ribs in a 325 degree oven for around 30-40 minutes. You want them to brown up a bit.
• Bruise the lemongrass. Cut it in half and whack it repeatedly with the dull side of a big knife until it starts to break open.
• Combine the roasted ribs (or leftover ribs from a rib roast), lemongrass, chicken stock, star anise, black cardamom, shallots and fish sauce in a pot large enough to hold all the ingredients.
• Bring to a simmer and cook until the beef separates easily from the bone. This takes 90-120 minutes or so.
• This next step is optional. If you like the textured bits in pho (like tendon) then go for it. If you prefer just sliced beef then leave the meat on the bones and continue simmering. Your broth will be beefier for it.
• Remove the ribs from the pot. Let cool slightly. While you are at it remove everything except the shallots from the pot. Once the ribs have cooled enough to handle remove the meat and refrigerate. Return the stripped beef bones to the pot and continue simmering for a total of 4 hours. If your beef took 2 hours to get tender simmer for another 2 hours. Or, if you don’t want the more interesting bits then just skip this step. Leave the beef on the bones but do remove the lemongrass, star anise and cardamom.
• After 4 hours, remove the beef bones. Strain. Add enough water or stock to bring the total volume back to 6 cups. Refrigerate briefly. You want the fat to set up. There’s too much at this point. Once the stock is chilled skim off the fat. Keep it handy though. Don’t throw it away.
• Return the skimmed stock to the pot. Bring to a simmer. Taste and adjust for salt.
• Add three tablespoons of fat to a small sauce pan or frying pan. Heat over medium low heat. It will sputter for a bit as the water boils off. You should have enough fat. If you don’t make up the difference with vegetable oil.
• Add the bun bo Hue spice to the pan. Stir to coat the spices in oil and fry gently for about 30 seconds. Let this cool briefly and add about a tablespoon of the spice/fat mixture to the broth. Be careful. Hot fat into stock can bubble a bit. Taste and decide if it’s spicy enough. If not, add a bit more and taste again. Once you have the salt and spice right your broth is done. Keep warm.

Prep the rice noodles

• Soak the noodles in cool water for 30 minutes.
• Bring a large pot of water to a brisk boil. A pasta pot works really well here. The type with the built in colander.
• Add the pre-soaked noodles to the boiling water. Stir.
• Start checking the noodles after around 30 seconds. You want them a little bit toothy. This can take a minute or so.
• Remove the noodles from the hot water. Rinse with cold water. Keep the hot water handy.

Assemble the soup

• Bring the broth back to a lively simmer.
• Put the noodles back into the hot cooking water to warm through. This takes under 30 seconds if the water is still hot.
• Divide the noodles into two bowls. Add the beef, green onions, shallots and red chili slices. Pour half the piping hot broth into each bowl.
• Mix equal portions of hoisin and sriracha in a small bowl. Garnish with herbs and bean sprouts. Season with lime. Dip your beef into the hoisin/sriracha mixture for a little extra flavour. Enjoy.

Nutrition