Chickpeas Bowl with Turmeric Rice and Garlicky Chard

5 from 5 votes

A delicious and healthful bowl that layers chickpeas, cooked in a spiced onion and coconut sauce, with turmeric rice and garlicky Swiss chard.

Prep Time20

Cook Time30

Total Time50

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Fusion Indian

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 312kcal

1 cup dried chickpeas (You can use 3 cups canned. Or use kala chan , which are brown chickpeas. Soak the chickpeas overnight, then sprout and cook until tender. Pressure cooking is best for this -- cook up to two whistles or 10 minutes after building up pressure in a cooker that doesn't whistle. If cooking on a stovetop, cover the chickpeas with water to cover by an inch, bring to a boil, cover, lower heat so the water just boils, and cook until tender.)
1 medium onion (finely chopped)
¼ cup coconut (grated)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
½ inch ginger (grated or minced)
2 dry red peppers (like Kashmiri chiles)
2 teaspoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
½` teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoon cilantro (finely chopped)
Salt to taste

2 cups basmati rice (or any other long grain rice, soaked for 30 minutes, then drained)
½ teaspoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon turmeric
3 cups water
Salt to taste

Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a saucepan. Add the onions, dry red chili peppers, ginger and garlic, and saute until the onions start to brown. Add the grated coconut and saute another 3-4 minutes, or until the coconut starts to color slightly. Be watchful and don't let the coconut burn.
Remove the onion, ginger-garlic, coconut mixture to a blender, add 1 cup of water, and blend into a smooth paste.
Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon of oil in a large saucepan. Add the cumin seeds and as they begin to color, add the turmeric, cayenne and garam masala. Almost immediately, add the blended onion-coconut paste and the chickpeas. if you have the cooking water with the chickpeas, don't add it all at once-- use as needed to get the correct thickness for your sauce. Stir everything to mix.
Cook the chickpeas for 10 minutes over medium heat so all the flavors merge together. Add salt, and stir in cilantro.

In a large saucepan, add the coconut oil and heat. Add the cumin seeds and wait until they begin to change color and darken. Add the turmeric, stir quickly, and add rice and salt to taste.
Stir-fry the rice for a minute or two until it starts to turn opaque. Now add the water, salt to taste, stir, bring to a boil, and then cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Let the rice stand an additional 10 minutes before opening the lid and fluffing with a fork.

Heat oil in a skillet. Add the mustard seeds and when they sputter, add the garlic. Let it turn very lightly golden, stirring, and then add the chard. Stir-fry until the chard is wilted. Add salt to taste, cover, and cook another 3-4 minutes or until the chard is as tender as you want it to be.
Now layer the curried chickpeas, rice and chard in bowls and serve hot.