Tomato season is here in Maryland! I am so in love with sweet summer tomatoes. I haven’t had much time to cook during the week lately, so right now we are focusing on making huge batches of things that reheat well. Curry is one of those things, and a great way to use up the huge bags of tomatoes we are getting in the CSA. This chickpea vindaloo recipe is something that I started making in college, long before going the vegan route.
Over the past few months I have had the pleasure of cooking lots of recipes by Vegan Richa, and I learned from Richa that freshly toasted & ground spices are so worth taking the extra time for. I used to make this vindaloo with ground everything and the flavor just pops so much more with a fresh curry paste. Buying whole spices can be a bit of an up-front cost, but they last a lot longer on the shelf than their ground counterparts. If you don’t have all of these whole spices in stock then feel free to mix and match whole vs. ground, as it will still taste really good.
I will make my standard disclosure here that I am making no claims of authenticity with this recipe. I have done my best to research what is classically included in this spice blend. I think this tastes pretty close to what they have at my favorite Indian restaurant, though. From what I understand, vindaloo was actually inspired by a Portuguese dish in the beginning, and the most important part is that it’s very spicy and tangy. In particular, it seems to be up for debate whether potatoes should be used. That was an easy choice for me this time because we had potatoes that needed using.
Also, instead of lemon juice or red wine vinegar, palm vinegar is the recommended form of acid. That’s something I don’t keep on hand so I chose to use lemon juice and I was satisfied with the result. I even found versions that don’t have any tomato or cardamom, so I guess everyone has their own take on vindaloo. No matter – this will make your kitchen smell fragrant and delicious. I kind of want to inhale the curry paste. =]
Speaking of the CSA, in addition to the roma tomatoes and potatoes used in the chickpea vindaloo, here’s what else we’ve been getting the past couple weeks:
Tomatillos
A gigantic watermelon (!!)
Cherry tomatoes
Bell peppers
Yellow squash
Eggplant
Cabbage
Carrots
Fennel
Swiss chard
As you see, it’s been a really nice break from the usual onslaught of leafy greens. I’ve kind of been missing them! But I’ll take fresh tomatoes over kale any day. 🙂
Chickpea Vindaloo (Spicy Chickpea Curry)
Ingredients
For the chickpeas vindaloo:
- 2 cups dried chickpeas
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1 yellow or white onion diced
- 5 cups water
- 1 and 1/2 cups diced potatoes (about 2 medium potatoes)
- 1 cup diced tomato (about 2 medium-small tomatoes)
- vindaloo curry paste (recipe below)
For the vindaloo curry paste:
- 1/2 tsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp cardamom pods scant
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp mustard seeds
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 5 cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 and 1/2 tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp coconut sugar (or regular sugar)
- 4 red chilis seeds removed (or not, if you dare), chopped
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 inches fresh ginger peeled and minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 and 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup lemon juice (about 1 large lemon) (or red wine vinegar)
Instructions
Prep the chickpeas:
- Soak the chickpeas overnight, or for 1 hour using this quick soak method. Cover with plenty of water as they will nearly double in size.
- In a large saucepan, warm the coconut oil. Add the onion and a pinch of salt, and stir. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until the onion is softened. Add the potato and stir.
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas and add them to the pot along with the potatoes and 5 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to medium heat. Partially cover the pot. Continue to stir occasionally, and cook until the chickpeas are tender, about 40 minutes.
Prepare the vindaloo curry paste:
- Meanwhile, in a skillet over medium heat, melt the coconut oil. When it begins to shimmer, add the cardamom pods, coriander seeds, peppercorns, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, cloves, and bay leaves. Stir the spices continuously until they become fragrant and start to turn golden, 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat and pan immediately.
- Add the spice mixture to a blender along with the rest of the curry paste ingredients. Puree until a smooth paste is formed.
Finish the chickpea vindaloo:
- Once the chickpeas are cooked through, stir the curry paste and diced tomato into the pot. Continue cooking at medium heat, partially covered, and stirring occasionally. Add 1/2 cup more water if it starts to dry out. Cook until the tomatoes have broken down, 20-30 more minutes.
- Add more salt to taste, and cayenne pepper if you want it spicier. Serve topped with fresh cilantro, over rice (pictured is brown basmati rice) or with other accompaniments of choice.
Nutrition
This chickpea vindaloo is a veganized adaptation combined from this chicken vindaloo recipe and this other vindaloo recipe.
Enjoy this curry? Try some of my other Indian-inspired recipes:
Chickpea Turmeric Stew with Sweet Potato and Coconut Bacon
Mango Curry Hummus and Tandoori Roasted Red Pepper Sandwiches
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.
Vincent L Curoso says
Made this tonight and it is excellent. Although I have made quite a few curries this is the first time I’ve made curry paste. I used my spice grinder (cheap coffee grinder) on the roasted spices before blending in my trusty mini cuisinart processor and it worked great. 5 cups was the correct amount of water. Habanero peppers gave the right amount of kick. Not a vegan or even a vegetarian – the wife is vegetarian – but I’ll be trying out more recipes from this site. Thanks!
Martha Figueroa says
I followed this very closely. There is a missing set of instructions. Once the potatoes and chickpeas are cooked in 5 cups of water, there is a need to transfer said ingredients to a separate pan and add the spice paste. I made this, and my potatoes and chickpeas were drowning in liquid. The recipe was still good, everyone loved it, but it looked nothing like the pictures shown above.
Julia Craven says
How spicy is this? I’m going to make it within the next week. Can I use arbol chilis? I got vindaloo when I was out of state and I got it 4 out of 5 spicy and it was PERFECT. I love spicy so if this is very spicy like the dish I had was I will be very happy. Thanks!
Christy says
Do you use green cardamom or black cardamom. I know they have totally different flavors and don’t want to mess up.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Green!
Colin says
So, just finished eating it and wow, really impressed. I’ve made quite a few curries and many are simply tomatoes mixed with chillies and coconut milk but this almost tastes like an authentic takeaway meal. You can really taste all the spices and it’s hot and slightly sour that together works really well.
Thanks for the recipe!
Colin says
Making this as I type. Smells amaing but 5 cups of water did seem alot. I ended up puting just 3 in and have just scooped out a little more. Will let you know what happens
Tara says
:/ ….. was I supposed to grind whole seeds before putting them in the pan?? Or are there supposed to be whole seeds in the paste? Have blended over and over… food processed over and over … seeds still whole:/ I have very good appliances… but it smells and tastes aaaamazing!!! I will try a ground version….
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hey Tara, Sorry that this caused you trouble. I used a Magic Bullet (a very small blender) for making this recipe so I may have overlooked that in larger appliances it would be difficult to grind the curry paste finely. For next time, add a little bit of a water at a time as needed to help blend. There may have just not been enough volume for your appliance to blend it. You can also toast and grind (with a spice grinder, or mortar and pestle) the whole spices before cooking them for just 30 seconds or so in the coconut oil. Hope this helps.
Beca says
Hi Shannon!
Thanks for posting great recipes! My sister and I are trying to slowly become vegans and your recipes are making it easier to transition. I love to cook so I’m excited to try a couple of your recipes. I was wondering if you have any videos of you making one of your dishes?
Thanks
Beca
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Beca, I don’t have any recipe videos yet but I am actually working on one right now and I hope to post it in a few weeks! Thanks for reading 🙂
Karyn says
I am a new vegan and am just discovering Indian food. I went to my new favorite Indian restaurant this weekend and ordered something very similar to this and it was wonderful. I thought to myself – I must learn to make this! Already had this recipe pinned from before — can’t wait to try it! Thank you!
rika@vm says
I love making my own curry paste, they taste better than the packaged ones! Stunning chickpea curry and I love fresh cilantro on top of curries!
Amy @ Parsley In My Teeth says
Congrats, Shannon, on winning the Best Main Dish category in last week’s potluck! I luv luv luv vindaloo curry!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thank you 🙂 people love their curries!
Chitra Jagadish says
never tried vindaloo using chickpeas-looks droolicious…
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thank you, Chitra! 🙂
Allison says
This is my kind of meal! My whole life has been taken over by tomatoes these last couple of weeks (I have a produce over-buying problem!) and I’m constantly looking for fresh ways to use them up. Chickpeas, tomatoes, and warming spices? I’m in!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
I am having the same tomato problem! Well not really a problem, just an overload of deliciousness 🙂 I absolutely love them in curry so this one was a no brainer.
Katie @ Produce on Parade says
You’re awesome for making your own curry paste. My idol! I need to get on that, this looks amazing! Freshly ground spices are truly much more flavorful than pre-ground!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thank you! I’m sure I will still use ground spices on my lazier days but it’s really worth the extra effort sometimes 🙂
Cheryl says
Looks like my comment didn’t post…. so here’s for the awkward re-try (only awkward if you see both, that is!). a) This look AMAZING. I just pored over the Saveur India issue and am freshly obsessed with Indian food. This is definitely going into our rotation. b) The photography is g-g-GORGEOUS. Such vibrant hues, so sharp. Love it
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thank you so much!! That’s a really nice compliment. I hate the lighting in my new house so I am super happy and relieved to hear (read?) you say that. I really need to subscribe to Saveur 🙂 and I only saw this comment, so I guess you are in the clear, lol.
Caeli @ Little Vegan Bear says
Lovely! I love Vegan Richa too 🙂 Such wonderful recipes.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thanks! Yeah, Richa is the best =]
Caeli @ Little Vegan Bear says
Lovely! I love Vegan Richa too 🙂