Chickpea Curry with Fresh Dill Leaves

Experimental curry…

A few of my friends have become new mamas (or very soon mamas-to-be), and Rob and I have been cooking up meals to share. One less thing for them to worry about. Rob offered one of our delicious dals. I wanted to experiment with a new curry, but Rob was adamant: Let me make dal bhat! We know it is awesome.

I won’t argue with that, nor with Rob offering to do the cooking.

I still experimented with a new curry but kept it for myself. Curry with dill? I was intrigued. Especially since it doesn’t call for a smattering of dill. It uses a whole 2 cups of dill, leaves and stems, akin to a leafy green instead of a finishing aromatic. Sauteed with my favourite flavours, garlic, ginger and coriander with a bit of tomato for some sauciness, this was a delicious chickpea curry. There was enough zip from the chile flakes to keep it well balanced. The flavour of dill was surprisingly not overwhelming and I really enjoyed it. Next time, we’ll know. This curry is definitely good enough to share.

Do you have any favourite meals to share with others? Have you ever cooked with this much dill at once? 🙂

PS. I am all over the cookbook giveaways these days, if you hadn’t noticed. My giveaway for The Ayurvedic Vegan Kitchen is still going, so check it out. I also highly recommend The Great Vegan Bean Book (see my review here). Head over to Miss Muffcake for her giveaway of the book here.

This is my submission to this month’s My Legume Love Affair hosted by Princy, and to this month’s Cooking with Herbs.

Chickpea Curry with Fresh Dill Leaves (Rasa Walla Kabuli Chana)
Adapted from 5 Ingredients, 50 Dishes via Doctor’s Review

1 tbsp coconut oil
1.5 cups chopped onions
1/2 tsp Aleppo chili flakes
1 tsp coriander seeds, finely ground
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 cup canned tomatoes, chopped
2 cups dill, finely chopped (stems and leaves)
1.5 cups cooked chickpeas
1/4 cup water
salt, to taste

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat oil. Once hot, add onion and saute until it has softened, around 5 minutes. Stir in the chile flakes, coriander, garlic, ginger and turmeric and saute for 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Add the tomato and cook until it has softened, around 5 minutes more. Add the dill, chickpeas, water and salt and bring to a simmer. Simmer, partially covered, for 5-8 minutes, until the dill is soft and tender.

Serves 4.