Curries usually take a bit of time and effort to cook so I wanted to try one that didn’t take too long to make. This curry was easy to throw together and the cook time was pretty fast. I used a basic blend of turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, fenugreek, cloves, bay leaves, and coriander for the curry seasoning. The half teaspoon of turmeric was all it took to turn this dish into a bright yellow curry! The flavors were as vibrant as the color and the tofu, chickpeas and green peas worked great together. The milk and cream gave it a richness that heightened the curry flavors. The creaminess reminded me a lot of Thai coconut curries, just without the coconut flavor. The recipe worked nicely with a side of rice which I spooned into the bowl generously!
Tofu and Chickpea Curry with Green Peas
Ingredients
- 2 yellow onions chopped
- 8 oz tomato paste
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 package firm tofu cut into 1 cubes
- 30 oz chickpeas rinsed
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup water
- 1 jalapeno minced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 inch knob ginger minced
- 1 1/2 cups green peas
- 2 bay leaf
- 2 tsp cumin ground
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon ground
- 1/4 tsp cloves ground
- 1/2 tsp fenugreek ground
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp coriander ground
- salt and pepper to taste
- cilantro chopped for garnish
- 4 servings rice optional
Instructions
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In a bowl, mix the cinnamon, cloves, and cumin together. Saute for a minute in a pan until the spices smell toasted and fragrant.
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In a large saute pan, heat the oil and saute the onions for 7-8 minutes on medium high heat.
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Add the jalapeno, tomato paste, garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
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Stir in the turmeric, fenugreek, chili powder, and coriander. Cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally.
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Stir in the chickpeas, tofu, and green peas gently (try not to break apart the tofu cubes).
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Add the milk, heavy cream, toasted spice blend and bay leaf, water and stir. Bring the mixture to a boil.
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Turn down the heat and cook for about 10-15 minutes until the sauce thickens a little.
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Serve with rice and garnish with cilantro leaves.
Julia @ JuliasAlbum.com says
Love curries! It looks delicious on your photos.
Ashley says
I’m a HUGE curry fan, I can’t get enough and I’m always looking for new, easy recipes. Can’t wait to try this one.
andrwe says
looks like you forgot the tomato paste in the methods. im going to make this tonight but im going to omit it…if it looks like it needs an acidity, then i’ll add some
mschro says
fixed, thanks. good luck trying it out!
Katie says
It doesn’t mention when to put the cinnamon etc in – presumably somewhere near the end as it was already toasted?
mschro says
Yeah, you would add the toasted spices (cinnamon, cloves and cumin) when you add the milk, heavy cream and water (step 6). Hope that makes more sense now! 🙂
Gerbil says
Made it last night. LOVE. IT. Great recipe. Well written. Thank you so much!
mschro says
Awesome! 🙂
meeps says
need to make this again and soon. one of my favorites!
Misha Lentz says
This is simmering on the stove right now next to a big pot of pearl couscous. It smells SOOOooo good! Can’t wait. Thank you. 🙂
Misha Lentz says
Okay, eating it right now. With piña colada smoothies. HEAVEN.
The Partial Ingredients says
Sounds great! Glad you enjoyed it.
dee says
you didn’t mention when to add the bay leaves either
The Partial Ingredients says
Add the bay leaf at the same time the rest of the spices go in. Thanks for letting me know!
dee says
This is one of the best …I hope you never take this down cuz I got you pinned and make about once a week! LOL thanks for posting!
Shana says
I make my own gharam masala but I guess you don’t need gharam masala powder in it, just the whole spices as is? I’m a little wee bit confused with the spices. The dish look delish, would love to give it a try
The Partial Ingredients says
Hi Shana,
No you wouldn’t add Garam Masala into this recipe since the blend is more like a Madras hot curry. The spices listed are all pre-ground, not whole spices. The cloves, cinnamon and cumin are combined in a bowl and then toasted. Then you add turmeric, fenugreek, chili powder, and coriander into the pot later. You can always use whole spices and grind them up if you like though 🙂