This glowing turmeric chickpea stew is nutrient-rich and delicious, made with fragrant fresh turmeric and ginger; chickpeas; tender vegetables; and creamy coconut milk. Recipe originally posted in January 2015, updated in January 2020.
I think this chickpea turmeric stew is absolutely perfect for the cold weather months and kicking off a new year. It’s comforting yet bright, and packed with nourishing ingredients. So, cheers to 2020 and a year of great food!
I use fresh turmeric in this stew, which is an absolute delight. The difference between fresh turmeric and ground dried turmeric is rather like the difference between fresh and ground ginger – both are delicious, but the fresh stuff is another level. Seriously incredible. Either one will work in this recipe, however, so don’t worry if you can’t get fresh turmeric locally.
Pictured above is my mise en place, which demonstrates that fresh turmeric stains anything and everything. Be sure to wash up promptly afterward to avoid permanent discoloration of your stuff.
The steps for making this stew, pictured above, are pretty basic: lightly brown some onion, then add some aromatics and a couple of pantry spices. Stir in coconut milk and veggies, and simmer until tender. Add the chickpeas and a splash of lime juice, season to taste, and you’re ready to eat!
Anyone who read the blog back in 2015 may remember the infamous lime incident, caused by my social awkwardness and resulting in the purchase of a lime that produced under 1/2 tablespoon of juice. I’ve been buying bottled lime juice these days, to make recipe prep easier. Whatever you do, don’t skip the lime in this turmeric chickpea stew recipe because it brings all of the flavors together.
(If you use fresh citrus often, I do recommend this nifty little citrus juicer. It’s cheap and a breeze to use! Grab one and it’ll be a snap to make my Orange Tofu or my Lentil Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette.)
Speaking of fruit juice, I also use freshly squeezed pineapple juice in this turmeric chickpea stew to add sweetness and flavor, and I think it pairs really nicely with the coconut milk. It also means that no added sugar is necessary in this recipe, which is always good news!
I add regular and sweet potato to this stew to make it nice and hearty on its own, but it’s also lovely served with jasmine rice. Feel free to add other stew-friendly veggies too, such as cauliflower or leafy greens. If you make this Chickpea Turmeric Stew, let me know in the comments section below or tag me on Instagram with @yupitsvegan!
Chickpea Turmeric Stew
Ingredients
For the chickpea turmeric stew:
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil (or use coconut oil)
- 1/2 yellow or white onion diced (or use 1 shallot)
- 1 to 2 serrano or jalapeno peppers finely chopped (use 2 if you like it spicy)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
- 1 and 1/2 tbsp minced fresh turmeric root (about 3 inches) (or use 1 and 1/2 tsp. dried turmeric, added along with the curry powder)
- 1/2 tbsp mild curry powder
- 1 and 1/2 cups full-fat coconut milk (equal to 1 14-oz. can)
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup 100% pineapple juice
- 2 tsp soy sauce (or tamari or liquid aminos)
- 1 medium to small potato cubed
- 1 medium to small sweet potato cubed
- 1 and 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas rinsed and drained (equal to a standard can)
- 2 tbsp freshly-squeezed lime juice
Instructions
For the chickpea turmeric stew:
- In a saucepan, heat a small drizzle of neutral oil (I used grapeseed oil) over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the shallot with a sprinkle of salt, and stir. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until starting to soften.
- Add the pepper, garlic, turmeric, and ginger with another sprinkle of salt, and stir. Cook for 5-7 more minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the shallot is soft. Add the curry powder and cook for 1 more minute, stirring frequently.
- Stir in the coconut milk, water, pineapple juice, soy sauce, and cubed potatoes and sweet potatoes, along with another fat pinch of salt. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil.
- Once the mixture boils, reduce the heat to a steady simmer and cover the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through.
- If desired, use the back of your spoon to mash up some of the potatoes to thicken the stew slightly. Stir in the cooked chickpeas and lime juice and let simmer partially covered for 5-10 more minutes.
- Season to taste with salt and additional lime juice. Serve hot, with rice and fresh herbs if desired. (Mine is topped with cilantro).
Notes
Nutrition
Thai red curry coconut bacon adapted from this coconut bacon recipe.
I'm Shannon, the writer and photographer of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. My mission is to create healthy plant-based recipes that anyone would enjoy, using seasonal produce with inspiration from global flavors.
T says
This recipe is great, but I wanted to double check when should I add the jalepnos? At the beginning when frying the onion?
Thanks for all your recipes!
K says
How would you advise tweaking this for an instant pot?
Rose says
Dang! Made this recipe and I was SO disappointed…SO disappointed I didn’t make a double batch – delicious! Didn’t use pineapple juice and used a very light “chicken” stock in place of the water. Will surely be making it again – soon. Thank you Shannon!!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Haha, this comment made me smile. Glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks, Rose!
Jane says
More of a soup than a stew, but very tasty.
Empress says
I just made this and it was delicious. The fresh tumeric gave it such a boost. I forgot the lemon juice though.
Patsy Moore says
Absolutely delicious! I cooked thos recipe yesterday and couldn’t believe how good it was. I used ground turmeric and didn’t have pineapple juice, but is was still good. I even made corn cakes to go with this dish. Scrumptious! I’m a sucker for soup no matter what the weather is. Thank you!
Alyssa says
I made this today and it was amazing. I skipped the pepper as I can’t have spicy peppers and substituted with black pepper. Served over rice and topped with cilantro!
Laura says
I’ve never used fresh turmeric root and it’s delicious. I skipped the pepper and just added black pepper and cayenne to taste at the end. The balance of sweet, spicy, and creamy is very satisfying.
Rachel says
Didn’t have an oven, so I didn’t make the “bacon” but WHOA does this have flavor. I used purple Okinawan potatoes as they are plentiful here in Hawaii. Very much enjoyed it.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
The purple potatoes in this sounds great! Thanks for sharing!
Christina says
Oh wow! I just made this. It is so delicious! This was my first time cooking with fresh turmeric root. The flavor is so intense. Just wow!
I love this coconut bacon too.
Thank you for a fantastic recipe!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thanks for your comment, Christina! I’m so glad you enjoyed the stew and coconut bacon 🙂 and I totally agree about fresh turmeric root… it is really something special 🙂
ｒｉｋａ＠ｖｍ says
What a surprise that you’re in B-more, I love the city so much! I hope to make a trip there sometimes! What a stunning stew, it’s so beautiful…I love the Asian flavors you incorporate in your stew…everything makes me smile! Sending you warm thoughts from the Northwest! 🙂
Carole Chapple says
I didn’t have any pineapple juice so I just subbed in more water. I don’t know what a serrano pepper is but I had some Scotch Bonnet peppers in the freezer from last summer’s crop so I popped one of those in well chopped up. I don’t like my food TOO hot! Also didn’t fancy the coconut bacon, but I had everything else and just topped it with some cut chives and shredded basil and served it on a small bed of coconut flavoured basmati. It was absolutely delicious, and I have enough left for lunch tomorrow and to freeze some! (I’m the only vegan in the family). Totally lush – the lime juice just makes it. I’ll get some pineapple juice for the next time.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
So happy to hear you enjoyed it, Carole, and great to know it worked well with your modifications! Hope you are able to try out the pineapple next time, it’s a lovely addition 🙂
janet @ the taste space says
Oh yum, Shannon. This looks fantastic!!! I am sorry about your lime woes but at least it all worked out in the end. 🙂
Caeli @ Little Vegan Bear says
This looks so tasty! I wish the weather wasn’t so warm at the moment…I’ll have to bookmark it for autumn/winter. I absolutely love the Thai flavours…lime, ginger, coriander and coconut are the bomb! 🙂
Mihl says
I am very sorry that it was so stressful to buy that lime. Akward shopping situations are worst.
Your stew looks gorgeous and I agree on the coconut bakon. I think this is a great use. I have nver had fresh turmeric and I guess I also need to go shopping to find out:)