Spicy rice with chickpeas

This lightly curried rice dish makes a simple yet satisfying vegetarian meal, with the chickpeas providing valuable protein. Serve with a yogourtraita (page 27) and mango chutney. A fresh, green, baby spinach leaf salad would also make a good accompaniment to this meal.

Servings Prep Time Cook Time
4servings 15minutes 35minutes
Servings Prep Time
4servings 15minutes
Cook Time
35minutes
Ingredients
Servings: servings
Units:
Ingredients
Servings: servings
Units:
Instructions
  1. Heat the oil in a large pot and fry the onion over a medium heat for about 8 minutes, stirring until pale golden. Add the curry paste and stir-fry for about 1 minute.
  2. Stir in the rice, then add the water, sweet potato, tomatoes and sultanas. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pan and leave on a low heat for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice is just tender and the water has been absorbed. Add a little more water if the mixture becomes too dry before the rice is cooked.
  3. Stir in the chickpeas and gently heat through. Stir in the cilantro, season to taste and scatter with the cashew nuts before serving.
Recipe Notes

Cook's tips: Choose a curry paste without any shrimp paste to make this suitable for vegetarians. The rice needs to be rinsed thoroughly, in a sieve under cold running water, before cooking. This removes excess starch so the rice will be light and fluffy when cooked.

Variation: If you like, you could add a small amount of diced firm tofu at the end of cooking, or for a non-vegetarian version, some diced, cooked chicken.

Each serving: 12 g protein, 17.5 g fat of which 2.5 g saturates, 42 g carbohydrate, 11 g fibre, 394 Calories