So if you follow me on Instagram, you saw that I had the Rasta Veggie Bowl at Lefty's while I was in Vancouver. It was so good I had to recreate it at home! Lefty's served their curry over creamy polenta, but I had mine with some quinoa and Tristan had his with rice.
This curry doesn't taste exactly the same as Lefty's but it's just as delicious and full of flavor. The list of ingredients seems like a lot but the process is ridiculously easy, which makes it perfect for a weeknight meal. Also, if you leave out the jerk chicken on top, you're left with a great vegan curry!
Start by marinating the chicken. In a bowl, combine the spices and oil. Add the chicken and massage the marinade into the chicken. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge until the curry is almost done.
In a large pot over medium heat, warm some oil and add the cumin seeds. When they start sizzling, add the onions and cook until translucent. Then add the potatoes, thyme, curry powder, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and cook for a couple of minutes.
Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, and vegetable stock. Let it simmer for 20 minutes. While the curry is simmering, purée the cashews with the almond milk in a blender. Add the cashew mixture and frozen peas to the curry and simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes.
In a nonstick pan over medium heat, cook the marinated chicken.
It should only take a few minutes on each side until the chicken is golden.
Serve the chickpea curry with a side of quinoa, polenta, or rice and top with as much jerk chicken as you like. Tristan couldn't believe how tasty this was, and claims it's one of the best homemade curries he's had. Both the chickpea curry and the jerk chicken are spicy, especially the chicken, so feel free to adjust the amount of cayenne pepper and black pepper (or omit it altogether).
Chickpea Curry with Jerk Chicken
Ingredients
Jerk Chicken
- 1.3 lbs (600g) chicken breast, cut into bite sized chunks
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon brown sugar
Chickpea Curry
- 2 cups diced potatoes
- 1 cup diced onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1½ tablespoons curry powder
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 can (14oz/400g) diced tomatoes
- 2 cans (28oz/800g) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- ½ cup cashews
- 1 cup sweetened almond milk
- 1 cup frozen peas
Instructions
Jerk Chicken
- In a bowl, combine oil, thyme, salt, pepper, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cayenne pepper, and brown sugar. Add the chicken and massage the marinade into the chicken. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge until the curry is almost done.
- When the curry is just about to finish cooking, heat a nonstick pan over medium heat and cook the marinated chicken. Cook for a few minutes on each side until the chicken is golden.
Chickpea Curry
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and add the cumin seeds. When it starts to sizzle, add the onions and cook until translucent. Then add the potatoes, thyme, curry powder, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, vegetable stock and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
- While the curry is simmering, purée the cashews with the almond milk in a blender. Add the cashew mixture and frozen peas to the curry and simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes.
judigraber says
I do love curries and then with jerk chicken - your recipe has to be so flavorful. I am not a real big fan of chickpeas but in this dish I don't think I could even tell. A long list of ingredients doesn't scare me 🙂
Ai says
Thank you, Judi! 😀
Loretta says
What an amazing array of spices in this gorgeous dish. I love chickpea curry, I think you've paired it very well with the jerk chicken. I have never used almond milk, but the cashews and almond milk had to give it a creamy, silky texture. Quinoa sets it all of pretty nicely. Well done! With the cooler weather approaching, I'd love to try this out, so have bookmarked it for later. Thanks for bringing this flavorful dish to Fiesta Friday. Enjoy the week coming up. 🙂
Ai says
Thank you, Loretta, for both the comment and for choosing my post to be featured on Fiesta Friday!! Do let me know when you try it out. I'd love to know what you thought of it 🙂
Sarah says
This looks so good! I'll be making this very soon 🙂
Ai says
Thank you, Sarah!
nadia@maisontravers says
What would you suggest using instead of almond milk? I find it almost impossible to get it here in rural France.
Ai says
I think the best substitutions would be soy milk or canned coconut milk. Although canned coconut milk is quite thick on its own, you may not need the cashews to help thicken the curry. If you try it out, let me know which one you chose to use and how it worked out! 😀
Josette says
I love your flavor combinations in this dish- sounds wonderful!
Ai says
Thank you, Josette! 🙂
Karen says
Yum! I love any kind of curry and this looks delicious!
Ai says
Thanks Karen! We make this curry about once a week haha. It's definitely a go-to!
karen says
This looks delicious! I love making chick pea curry for a great meatless meal!
Ai says
Thanks Karen! This is our go-to dinner for meatless days 🙂