Mushroom and Chickpea Korma (vegan!)

This mushroom and chickpea korma is a unique dish. Dairy and meat free but high in protein, fiber, healthy carbs and tons of flavor - this dish is a perfectly complete vegan meal. The creamy "curry" base is a mixture of spices and coconut cream with the addition of tomato paste.

Korma is a type of curry dish but doesn't taste like your typical yellow or red curry. The spice combination of garam masala, coriander and the cardamom make it really unique and flavorful but not too over the top, so kids enjoy it as well. Typically made with yogurt and meat, we are doing things differently (meat & dairy free) around here, as usual. 

Unlike the majority of my recipes featured on my blog, I chose to try another food bloggers recipe and modify it as I saw fit. The original recipe comes from QuiteGoodFood.co.nz. Here photos are quite good as well. I adapted the recipe just a smidge and it turned out great!

What I love about Mushroom and Chickpea Korma Indian dish:

• it's got quite a bit of protein (13g per serving - add rice and there's more).
• it's extremely flavorful but also not too much - so kids love it as well.
• it's hearty, warm and fills you up.
• perfect for a Winter evening.
• the left-overs taste even better.
• you can sub mushrooms for small potatoes if you aren't a mushroom fan.

If you don't follow me on instagram it's a good time to do so because I've decided to share some recipes on instagram ONLY! Meaning, you will find an entire recipe and photos on my social media account that aren't featured here on the blog or in my newsletter. For example, I recently posted this Creamy Roasted Red Bell Pepper Sauce Recipe exclusively for Instagram.

Now back to Korma, if you are new to Indian dishes, this is a good place to start. One thing I loved about creating another bloggers dish is that I learned something really valuable when it comes to curries: "A little secret to making more-authentic home-made curries, is to blitz your onion, garlic and ginger first (or grate if you don’t have a food processor). Your curry sauce will have a far better flavour and texture." - Amber of Quite Good Food

Cool, right? Yeah, it's an extra and kind of tedious step, but it really is worth it! I love the way the curry smell fills up the kitchen when I'm making it as well. It always cheers up my tired grumpy kids after a long day of school and sports.

Mushroom and Chickpea Korma (vegan!)

INGREDIENTS

Spices:

• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon chilli flakes
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoon ground coriander
• ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

Korma base:

• 1 large onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped or minced
• 1 inch piece fresh ginger, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoon vegan butter or coconut oil
• 2 cups button mushrooms, whole if small, or chopped if larger
• 1 can chickpeas (beans only, not the liquid)
• 1 can coconut cream (just the thick white part, not the clear stuff)
• 2 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 tablespoon almond meal or flour (ground almonds)
• 1 teaspoon salt

To serve:

• Cooked rice
• Cilantro
• Toasted nuts

DIRECTIONS

1. Measure out all of the dry spices into a bowl. Set aside.
2. Blitz onion, garlic and ginger in a food processor with ½ cup of water, until it is a thick, rough slurry.
3. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and add 2 tablespoon coconut oil. Once hot, put the onion mixture into the saucepan. Cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring often, or until the liquid has evaporated and the onion mixture is golden brown. Turn down the heat if it is browning too quickly.
4. Add the dry spices, stir and cook for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
5. Add the mushrooms, turn the heat up a bit and cook for another 1-2 minutes to coat the mushrooms in the spice mixture. Season with 1 teaspoon salt.
6. Add coconut cream, chickpeas, tomato paste and the almond meal. Stir and then simmer for another 10 minutes.
7. Serve with cooked rice and garnish with your favorite toppings like toasted nuts and cilantro.

Enjoy! Have a wonderful first weekend of December.