🥣 PERSIAN CHICKPEA STEW WITH ALMOND COCONUT SAUCE 🥣

amy-goodrich (70)in #food • 5 years ago (edited)

A vibrant, delicious Persian inspired chickpea stew is what I have for you today. Though this is nothing like a real Persian meal, I have an Irian friend and his cooking has been a great source of inspiration for this dish.

If you have been following my blog you know I am all about fusion food. Every country we visit and every new friend I make inspire my cooking on a daily basis.

For me, that's the fun part of cooking. Taking everything you've seen, learned and tasted and create your own little masterpiece

But hey, don't be afraid, most of my dishes are also very easy to make. No special skills required 😉

As I said in my previous post, living in SE-Asia kinda makes you forget about all the Xmas fun. Though we had a wonderful Xmas dinner on the 24th, Xmas day was spent at home. Just the three of us.... the hubby, our furry little friend (who has become quite big) and myself.

Though dry season should be upon us, yesterday was a grey, rainy day. And nothing better than a stew to warm your heart on a chilly, rainy tropical day.

I hope you all enjoyed (and are still enjoying) this wonderful time with family and friends. I always feel homesick on days like this. But hey I don't have to work today so let's cheer up and eat some of the leftovers of the stew and watch a movie.

PERSIAN CHICKPEA STEW WITH ALMOND COCONUT SAUCE

For The Almond Coconut Sauce

½ cup onion, chopped
1 T ginger garlic paste
1 t cumin powder
1 t turmeric powder
1 t cinnamon powder
1 t nutmeg powder
¾ cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup water
½ cup unsalted almonds, ground
Salt and pepper to taste

FYI: since we use ginger and garlic so much in my recipes I always make a bigger batch to save some kitchen time by blending equal amounts of ginger and garlic. The paste can be stored in the fridge for quite some time. If you don’t have a similar paste, you can use grated or minced garlic and ginger instead.

To Make The Stew

1 cup onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic
1 cup bell pepper, chopped
½ cup orange juice, freshly squeezed
2.5 cups eggplant, chopped
1 cup zucchini, chopped
1 cup cooked chickpeas
1 cup tomatoes, chopped
½ cup dates, pitted and chopped
¾ cup cashew nuts, roasted
1 cup blended or pureed tomatoes
½ cup water
1 T lime juice
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Freshly chopped parsley or coriander (I used parsley as my hubby hates coriander)

To Make The Sauce

Heat cooking oil and fry the onion until soft. Add the garlic and ginger paste and fry for 1 minute more or until fragrant.
Then stir in the spices and add coconut milk and water. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
Take sauce off the heat and add the ground almonds and a pinch of salt and black pepper.
Let cool slightly before blending.

To Make The Stew

Heat cooking oil and fry onions until translucent. Add the garlic and stir-fry for a couple minutes before adding the bell pepper and orange juice. Fry until the pepper is soft.
Then add the cooked chickpeas, chopped dates, diced tomatoes. blended tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, salt and lots of black pepper. Mix well. Cover with lid and simmer for 20 minutes or until eggplant is soft, stirring occasionally.
When softened, add the blended coconut-almond sauce, lime juice, roasted cashews, and parsley or coriander. Stir well and taste. Add more lime juice, salt or pepper if needed.