Chickpea Curry Dip
This recipe was inspired by a chicken curry salad that I used to make when chicken was a part of my daily diet. Thanks to that old favourite this new yummy recipe has been born! You could put this on crackers, wrap it in a lettuce leaf or pop it on top of a salad. It has been tried and tested by many non-vegans and has been declared a keeper!
This recipe has less than ten ingredients which are always in my kitchen and very likely in yours too! Chickpeas/Garbanzo Beans, Onion, Dried Cranberries or Raisins, Curry Powder, Tahini and Mango Chutney. For the beans it is a personal preference whether you use beans cooked from scratch or from the can. Do what works for you. The last few times I have had to make it have been quite last minute so a can was my go to. I always try to buy the organic beans when buying cans and I always drain and rinse them to get rid of any extra sodium. I have done this recipe with both dried cranberries and raisins and I like them both equally; so make it a couple times and see which you like best. Curry powder is something most West Indians have in the pantry at all times and it gets sprinkled into many dishes for some flavour. If you don’t have tahini a great substitute for it in this recipe is hummus. Just make sure that it is plain and not flavoured in any way…not sure how a roasted red pepper hummus would taste mixed in with these other ingredients. My guess is that it wouldn’t be so great. Chutney is also something that I always have on hand as we tend to eat quite a bit of curry and it just isn’t the same without a spoonful of chutney to go with it. I used Mango Chutney for this recipe but you could also try out a different one if you want to experiment. So now on to how quick and easy it is to put these things together to come up with a healthy and delicious crowd-pleaser.
You will need to finely dice a small white onion, enough for a 1/4 cup, and cook this over a low to medium heat in a frying pan until soft. You can use water in the frying pan if you are trying to avoid using oil or you can use a dime sized amount of vegetable oil. We want the onion to become translucent and not brown so keep your eye on it. Whilst the onion is cooking open your can of beans and reserve 2 tablespoons of the aquafaba (the liquid that it is stored in). Then drain and rinse your beans. If you are cooking them from scratch then reserve the same amount of the cooking liquid. Place the rinsed and drained beans into a food processor and add the liquid you reserved and the tahini and blend to a smooth consistency. You can always add another tablespoon of liquid or a tablespoon of water if you need to help it along. It should be quite smooth if you want to use as a dip or a spread but you can also pulse it and leave it a bit more chunky if you like some texture.
The onion should be nice and soft by now and it is time to add the curry powder to the frying pan along with two tablespoons of water. This will make the curry into a paste. Cook this on low for a minute or so. I personally think that cooking the curry powder a bit really makes it taste so much better than adding it straight into the pureed beans. To the frying pan add the chopped cranberries or raisins and combine with the curry paste. Remove the pan from the heat and let this cool.
Once it has cooled add it to the pureed beans along with the chutney, some salt and pepper and give it a stir to incorporate everything. Putting it into the fridge for about half an hour gives it a chance for the flavours to blend but in my house it never makes it straight into the fridge without it being “sampled” and it tastes just as good without letting it sit in the fridge. Serve it with your favourite crackers, pita chips, dip your veggies into it, use it in a wrap…the possibilities with this one are many. It is a very quick and super simple recipe that is full of protein, healthy and oh so tasty. Even the non plant based eaters in your life are sure to love this as well. I promise that you will be asked to bring this one with you to parties time and time again!
Chickpea Curry Dip
Ingredients
- 1 15oz Can Chickpeas/Garbanzo Beans
- 1/4 Cup White Onion finely diced
- 1/4 Cup Dried Cranberries or Raisins
- 2 tbsp Curry Powder
- 2 tbsp Tahini
- 2 tbsp Aquafaba
- 2 tbsp Mango Chutney
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Reserve two tablespoons of aquafaba (liquid from the can of beans) after opening. If you are cooking the beans from scratch then reserve some of the cooking liquid. Drain and rinse the beans and place in a food processor.
- Add two tablespoons of tahini (or plain hummus if you don't have) and the liquid from the beans to the food processor and blend until smooth. You can add 1 tablespoon of water to this if necessary to help it puree. Once finished put into a mixing bowl.
- In a small frying pan over low to medium heat add a small amount of oil or water if you prefer not to use oil and add your onion. Cook until soft and translucent.
- To this add the curry powder and 2 tablespoons of water to turn into a paste. Cook this for one minute and then add the dried cranberries or raisins. Once combined remove from the heat and leave to cool.
- Add this cooled curry paste mixture to the pureed beans along with the chutney and some salt and pepper to taste. Mix together well and place in the fridge for about 30 minutes before serving.
