I was inspired to make these chickpeas after a colleague at work brought them in for morning tea one day. I don’t always love chickpeas, especially not for morning tea, but we were all blown away by how delicious they were, and they were still being talked about days later!

My colleague’s wife, Vicki Chand, was kind enough to share the recipe with me. My version isn’t quite as good as hers (I adjusted the recipe a little to use more widely available ingredients) but it’s still pretty delicious.

If you prefer, you can make your own roti to serve with the curried chickpeas. I haven’t included this as part of the main recipe, as I felt it added too much time and complexity for a weeknight meal. Here’s my recommended recipe, if you have the time:

HOMEMADE ROTI

Ingredients

• 1 cup plain flour (150g)
• 1/2 cup wholemeal flour (75g)
• 1/2 cup warm water (125ml)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 30g butter, melted (1.1oz)

Method

Place flours, water, oil and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer and knead with the dough hook until a smooth dough has formed (about 2-3 minutes). If you don’t have a stand mixer, mix together ingredients in a large bowl, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead with your hands until smooth. Add more water or flour if required. Cover dough with cling film and set aside while you prepare the chickpeas etc.

When chickpeas and salad ingredients are ready, divide dough into 4 pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece out into a thin disc. Brush one side with melted butter. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add one of the rotis, buttered side down. Brush other side with butter. Cook for 45 seconds on each side, until puffed and golden. Repeat with remaining rotis, covering cooked ones with a clean tea towel.

CURRIED CHICKPEAS ON ROTI

Keyword: MAIN MEALS, VEGETARIAN

Difficulty: Easy

Ready In: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

Curried chickpeas on roti are a flavoursome Indian-style vegetarian meal. You can easily adjust the spice level to your liking, and store-bought roti or wraps help to make this a quick and easy dinner.

QUICK PRINT

Ingredients

CURRIED CHICKPEAS

• 2 x 400 g cans chickpeas (2 x 14oz)
• 1 large brown onion
• 1 red chilli (optional)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
• 2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 Tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander + extra to serve (optional)

TO SERVE

• 1/2 cup plain, unsweetened yoghurt (125ml)
• 1 Tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 tsp cold water
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 large tomatoes
• 1 Lebanese cucumber
• 4 large roti
• 80 g baby spinach (2.8oz)
• 100 g feta cheese (3.5oz)

Instructions

1. COOK CHICKPEAS

   Drain chickpeas and rinse in a colander under cold water. Dice onion. Remove seeds from the chilli and finely dice flesh, if using. Crush garlic.

2. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add cumin and mustard seeds, cook for 30 seconds, then add onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, until softened. Add chilli, garlic and ginger and cook for a further 2 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas, then add lemon juice, garam masala, sugar and salt. Cook for 5 minutes, until chickpeas have softened a little. Stir in butter and coriander, then turn heat down to low.

3. PREP OTHER INGREDIENTS

   Whisk together yoghurt, mayo, water and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Dice (or slice) tomatoes and cucumber.

4. COOK ROTI

   Heat roti according to instructions on the packet – pan frying is a quick and easy option that usually works well.

5. SERVE

   Spread yoghurt sauce onto each roti, then top with baby spinach, chickpeas, tomato, cucumber, crumbled feta and extra coriander (if using). Roll up to enclose and eat with your hands.

Recipe Notes

WINE MATCH: A Riesling.
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: Replace the roti with gluten-free wraps. Ensure mayonnaise is gluten-free.
INGREDIENT SWAPS: You can use wraps instead of roti. If you don’t like coriander, try fresh parsley instead.
MAKE IT MEATY: Use only one can of chickpeas and replace with 400g diced chicken thighs. Add chicken to the pan when you add the chickpeas, but cook for longer (10 minutes) to ensure chicken is properly cooked through.
HOMEMADE ROTI: Follow instructions provided in the commentary for this recipe. I suggest you make the dough first, then cook the roti at the same time you would heat the store-bought ones (step 4).
STORING AND REHEATING: Store chickpeas separate to roti and salad. Reheat chickpeas and roti in the microwave. Roti can also be wrapped in foil and reheated in the oven. Assemble just before serving.

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