Chickpea and Cauliflower Curry
This not-so-authentic take on a vegetarian Thai red curry is an EXPLOSION of awesome flavor. And the best part? It comes together in less than 20 minutes. You typically wouldn't pair hot-off-the-presses naan with a Thai curry, but I love serving some up with this. In no time at all, you've got yourself an amazing healthy dinner that the whole family will love.
If you've never made curry before, it's nothing to be afraid of. The best way to get the curry flavor you're used to from your favorite South Asian restaurant is to use curry paste. Yes, they sell curry powder at most grocery stores, but the flavor of typical curry spices tends to fade very quickly after grinding-so powder form isn't the best way to get robust flavor.
Curry paste is the wet version of curry powder, and you can probably find it at your regular supermarket in the international foods aisle. Because it is wet, it keeps the flavor of the spices nice and robust, and having a bottle of curry paste in the fridge makes it a BREEZE to make a simple curry like this one.
For this recipe, you're looking to pick up red curry paste-Mae Ploy brand is one that a lot of folks like, but I can't find it at my supermarket, so I usually just use Thai Kitchen. If you're a little more advanced, you can also make your own curry paste at home-here's a great how-to from Hot Thai Kitchen.
This recipe also makes an awesome make-ahead meal prep recipe, if you're so inclined. Just pre-cook the curry and your rice, pop them into meal prep containers, and stash them in the fridge until you're ready to microwave. Enjoy!
📖 Recipe
Chickpea and Cauliflower Curry
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2-4 tablespoons red curry paste
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 large white onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large red bell pepper diced
- 15 ounces canned coconut milk
- 15 ounces chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 15 ounces diced tomatoes
- 1 small head cauliflower broken into small florets
- ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Rice cauliflower rice, and/or naan for serving
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons coconut oil and 2-4 tablespoons red curry paste in a large skillet over medium-high heat, until the oil is melted and the curry paste is fragrant.
- Add in 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger, 1 large white onion, 4 cloves garlic, and 1 large red bell pepper. Cook until the veggies are tender and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
- Add in 15 ounces canned coconut milk, 15 ounces chickpeas, 15 ounces diced tomatoes, and 1 small head cauliflower. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the cauliflower is tender and the sauce is thick and bubbly, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro and season with Salt and pepper. Serve over top of cooked Rice with a side of hot naan for serving. Serve over cauliflower rice to keep it grain-free.
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Awesome dish. Tried it for.lunch. Along with roti, tasted wonderful. Veggies and proteins in shot. Kids digged them.
Hi Cassie!
The sauce never got thick for me 🙁 any suggestions??
Were you using a lid? I left mine off the last 15 mins or so which let it thicken (see my steps for cooking which are more elaborate than Cassies.)
making this for dinner tonight, adding some grated carrot too..
This curry was devine. I was so surprised that even my 3 year old ate it. Im new to a plant based diet so finding a recipe that the kids actually like is like gold to me.
Thanks!
Delicious recipe. I added a bit of cumin and coriander. I think the coriander picked up sweetness in cauliflower. Also needed to add a second can of coconut milk; thinking I had a rather large head of cauliflower.
Thanks
This sounds amazingly delicious!!! I only have a VH red curry (which I think is a sauce?) in my pantry for some reason, but I am dying to make this! Do you think I can sub this even though it has more ingredients and isn't a paste?
Hi! Really, really excited to try this recipe, but am really considering just using dry curry. I have a really great batch of it right now that holds its flavor very true, so I think it would be a good candidate for trying it. The thing is, though, I'm not sure how much curry powder would be equivalent to the amount of curry paste you've recommended? I'm guessing I would need more powder to equal the power of the paste.
Has anyone tried this with curry powder, and if so, how much did you use?
I would be cautious. A good curry powder can pack more punch than a curry paste. I would under add at first, then taste test after the coconut milk has been added. Adjust your flavours before adding the cauliflower. Just a suggestion - my experience is not broad.
I've followed your blog for awhile and have a few fave recipes I use over and over (your enchilada sauce, for one!). I made this last night and it was a hit!! My husband didn't even mind that it was "meatless!" Will add this one to our "favourites!". Thanks for sharing!
So glad you guys loved it! 🙂
I just found your blog site by accident and love how you write. I raised two kids and this blog brought back a typical day, week, etc. with a wistful smile. Thank you for your candor and enjoy the ride. BTW making this curry tonight. ?
This recipe sounds delicious! I'm trying hard to make one meatless meal a week(much to my husbands chagrin). This recipe sounds so good that even my hubby won't miss the meat, maybe. I've never cooked with coconut oil before or coconut milk. So I have a question. Does coconut oil and coconut milk make the dish sweet at all? Also, can you recommend a good brand of coconut oil? Thanks.
I used to subscribe to you via feedly, but stopped when you stopped posting the full post on feedly. I understand why, but I personally just want to read everything in feedly rather than having to click and go to webpage. I do the majority of blog reading on my phone and just find it annoying. I've enjoyed reading your blog again as it focuses less on your baby/mom life and more on the garden and what not and for awhile was fine with clicking to view it on your website. Except now the mobile version is unbelievably cluttered with ads as I try scrolling through, making it difficult to see what is the content/photos you posted and what is an annoying ad. I understand that this is your source of income and that adds=$, but your posts are now ugly and incredibly jumbled with ads and difficult to read.
I'm really sorry you are struggling to consume content—that's never fun! You'll be happy to hear that I'm currently working on a redesign (launching this summer), and comments like this will really help me shape the new look at feel of BTHR. So thanks for your feedback!
Like you said, my blog is my career and my family's sole source of income, so it's imperative for me to make a living wage based on the full-time hours I put into crafting the (what I hope you think is) high-quality content that I publish for free for my readers. It's a constant struggle to balance making a site user-friendly while still making it profitable, so thanks for bearing with me while I figure out that balance.
I've been making this curry since you had it on Live Better America, and I'm always excited when we get cauliflower in our CSA because I know we're going to have this curry! It's a weeknight staple in our house for sure.
You have no idea how happy it makes my heart that someone recognized this recipe from LBA! I was so crushed when that site went down and all the goodness went down with it. This version is a slight (better!) tweak from the LBA version! 🙂
I recognized it because we eat it all the time. I forgot to mention, but we had it for dinner last night, right before seeing your post!
Curry is a family favourite and staple at our house with cauliflower bring near the top of the favourite list- yum!
I'm sorry your daughter was sick- that's rough. Having 4 kids we always have an extra Tylenol and Advil handy because I swear 99% of the time kids get sick in the middle of the night.
For the future have you heard of NoseFrida? That, saline drops and a temporal artery thermometer are always on hand at our place. Definite must haves for sick kids.
I hope your daughter is on the mend and that it doesn';t hit you next!
Yes, we have a NoseFrida! We've (thankfully) never had to use it. This is the first time Juni has been sick in almost two years!
And we'll never be without Tylenol again!
You life/blog is raw, honest and beautiful. And life is tough. Regardless of if you have kids or not. I don't have kids and just taking care of myself overwhelms me. You are doing an amazing job.
Anyway about the curry. I am so happy you love curry and I am so happy you posted this recipe. Lovely pictures. You don't know how many times when other non indian people come up to me and ask me if I am indian (I am) and they proceed to tell me how they don't like curry. Usually I just smile and nod. But inside I am going; WHO DOESN'T LIKE CURRRY??!?!!?!?!?
Isn't "curry" not even really an Indian thing? I always thought it was us North Americans bastardizing another culture (like we are really, really good at doing!).
I love curry! And my wife does too. I made this tonight (first time...in fact first time in months I've made anything Indian) and my wife told me it was the best meal we've had in a long time. Thanks!
BTw, my step-mom is from India, and my pastor (and good friend) is from India, but grew up in Malasia. There are probably 20 good Indian/Thai/Asian restaurants within 5 miles of our home. So I get great Indian and Thai food a lot. I live in a large mid-west city and we have a huge asian/east-indian population, so there are great ethnic markets everywhere. And with all the options, it's still better to make it at home most of the time...
This recipe is definitely a keeper.
Curry is a real thing, although it is broad in it's interpretation. Instructive to read this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curry
I actually HATE curry. Like would rather starve than eat it haha. Different strokes for different folks.
p.s. However I would never walk up to someone and say it like you mentioned. ?
Yup, real life! Every family goes through moments like that. In 10 years raising kids I learnt that shit hits the fence periodically. It is always something. Last weekend I had a 9 year old on crutches and 5 year old with 103. I just take it day by day and go to sleep when I can't take it no more. Next morning things are always a tiny bit better.
Nah, no one's life is perfect. I learnt so many times people post on Facebook happily married pics etc. and boom, divorced 3 months later. Happened twice last year. I was like WHAT?!
Hang in there.
It's crazy how things ebb and flow like that, isn't it? You're just cruising along and BAM, everything seems to fall apart. And you're right, everything always seems a bit better the next morning!
I just made this (swapping red lentils for chickpeas) and it is absolutely delicious! Definitely a keeper - thanks Cassie!
YUM! I bet the lentils were awesome. So glad you liked it!
This looks so good, and since our nearest Indian restaurant is 3 hours away, recipes like this one are a lifesaver! Can't wait to give it a try.
Yeah, we're a good 2 hour round trip to Indian food—although, remarkably, we have TWO Thai places in our tiny town. TWO.
Omg, I am so jealous! Our nearest Thai place is an hour away. Last year I spied a sign that said "A Touch of Thai" in town and was so excited ... until I found out it was a new massage place. Long story short, if you want exotic flavors 'round these parts, you gotta make it yourself. 🙂
I make Indian food at least once a week...it's quick and so delicious!! Definitely going to have to try this one!
I love food that you can make in no time, but tastes like you worked on it for hours—and that's the joy of curry paste! 🙂
Guess who has chickpeas and cauliflower without a purpose until now?! I'm supposed to make dinner for my boyfriend and I on Thursday and this sounds perfect!
Isn't it such wonderful kismet when you just happen to have the exact ingredients you need to make a recipe? It's meant to be! 🙂
Love this. I had everything in the house except the can of chickpeas and cauliflower. One quick trip and problem solved. What a keeper although I cook much differently - i think the ingredients should be introduced to each other very slowly. Hence, after step 1 I added onion + peppers for 3 mins, then garlic for 3 mins, then chick peas for 3, then tomatoes for 3, then ginger for 3, then coconut milk for 3 mins, then cauliflower for 10 mins, then turned off burner for 5 mins (my burners retain a lot of heat,.. so this is slowly reducing the cooking temp), then set aside for 5 mins. Finally, ready to serve beside the rice, for 5 more mins. After that, mix and enjoy. It was amazing. Everything had blended together so nicely.
Me, too! Have an opened can of chickpeas and half a head of cauliflower, looking for something I can make up today and serve for lunch tomorrow. Perfect!
I LOVE your blog and one of the reasons is your honesty. As a working mum of two, I totally feel this post - we are just coming out of the "winter of sick" at our house and I'm so done with it....and so, so tired of vomit. Bring on a healthful spring!
Also, this is dinner tomorrow night!
<3 <3 <3 Hang in there, Mama! Here's hoping we all have a very, very healthy spring and summer!