A hearty, filling meal that’s 100% wholesome, this Indian Chickpea Sweet Potato Stew is the best of healthy comfort food. It’s vegan, gluten-free, and made with whole foods like sweet potatoes, chickpeas, warming Indian spices, and greens, but it feels like a cozy hug in a bowl!
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
- 1 ½ tsp whole cumin seeds
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 medium yellow onions, finely diced
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1 ½-inch piece fresh ginger, grated or minced
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp Indian red chili powder or 1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- A generous amount of freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 (15-oz) cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed (equivalent to 3 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas)
- 2 cups water or vegetable broth
- 3 cups peeled and finely diced sweet potatoes
- 1 (14.5-oz) can crushed tomatoes, or half of 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
- 4 oz Swiss chard (you can use kale or spinach instead, but not that spinach will take less time to cook)
- 1 ½ tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- ½ cup fresh mint, finely chopped
Garnishes (optional but recommended)
- Thinly sliced red onions
- Coconut yogurt
For serving
- White rice of brown rice
- Indian flatbread or pita bread
Instructions
- Heat a large, deep nonstick frying pan or a Dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot, add the black mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Stir occasionally and toss the seeds around for 1-2 minutes, or until they start to jump in the pan and smell very aromatic but not burning.
- Add the coconut oil and once it’s melted, add the diced onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened and start to turn golden, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1-2 minutes until very aromatic, stirring frequently to prevent burning and sticking.
- Add the bay leaves and ground spices, and then add the chickpeas and stir them around to coat around in the spices. Allow them to cook for 5-6 minutes, turning only once after a few minutes, to allow them to get a bit browned and crispy.
- Pour in the water, stirring around to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Pour in the crushed tomatoes, diced sweet potatoes, crushed tomatoes, and salt. Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender and the stew has thickened.
- Add the chard (or kale) and cover the pan. Cook for 5 more minutes until wilted. Remove bay leaves.
- Stir in cilantro and lemon juice. Serve with fresh mint, sliced red onion, and coconut yogurt.