Creamy but light at the same time and so colorful, you will feel like you’ve made a masterpiece with so little effort. This recipe with curry is a great example of an affordable, healthy & flavorful meal that is satisfying! I adapted this recipe from one of my favorite blogs, Half Baked Harvest, during high-COVID season when I was trying to use up what I had in my pantry.
Used what was in my pantry!
On this particular day, I had a can of sweet corn, chickpeas, and coconut milk and figured they would make a nice pairing for this curry! I also did something I don’t do that much – I added the entire can of sweet corn with the liquid it came in. After tasting it, I was just BLOWN AWAY. I never realized how much of a difference that could make! There’s so much flavor in that liquid that complemented the coconut so well. It definitely made up for not having fresh corn on hand.
Also, just a note about the coconut milk. Use coconut milk from a can – it’s not the same as refrigerated coconut milk and you won’t get the super creamy curry this recipe was intended for. I grew up with the brand Arroy-D and will be loyal to them my entire life. It was like white gold in our household – nothing could come close to coconut milk from Thailand! You can certainly find it at your nearest Asian store but also here on Amazon.
Add texture to curry with chickpeas
This recipe also encourages you to pan-fry your chickpeas and save them to garnish on top of the curry when you serve it. It’s kind of awesome, so you don’t want to skip that part if you’ve never tasted fried chickpeas before. Sprinkled with just a touch of salt and pepper, they were like french fries or potato chips. I could ???????? not ???????? stop ???????? eating them! I’m surprised I even had any left to make it to serving!
Sweet Corn Coconut Curry with Crisped Chickpeas
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Main Course, Soup
Description
Light and healthy coconut curry base with sweet corn, crisped chickpeas, veggies and a side of rice
Ingredients
- 1 can chickpeas (14 oz)
- 1 can coconut milk (Arroy-D brand is best)
- 2 small zucchinis
- 1 can sweet corn
- 1 shallot (chopped)
- 2 tsp ginger (grated)
- 2 tsp garlic (chopped)
- 1/4 cup neutral oil (cooking-grade olive oil or avocado oil)
- 1 1/2 tbsp curry powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- juice & zest from 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro or parsley (chopped)
- 2 cups jasmine or basmati rice (cooked)
- naan flatbread, for serving (optional)
- salt & pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Drain chickpeas and pat them dry. Heat 1/4 cup oil in a skillet over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add chickpeas with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until the color begins to brown slightly and crisps up, approx 5 minutes. Remove about half of the chickpeas to reserve for a crunchy topping!
- In the same pan with chickpeas, add zucchini, shallot, garlic, ginger, and the entire can of corn (including the liquid which will add sweetness to your curry!). Season with salt and pepper. Cook veggies for 5-10 minutes or until zucchini begins to soften.
- Stir in the curry powder, cayenne, and coconut milk. Combine thoroughly and simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes until fragrant. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice, lemon zest and cilantro.
- To serve, plate about 1/4 cup of cooked rice in each bowl and spoon curry over the top. Garnish with more cilantro and the crunchy chickpeas!
Keywords: dairy free, gluten free, vegetarian
Perfect Pairing: Herby Garlic Butter Naan
In addition to rice or in lieu of it, I like to have fresh naan bread to go with this dish! Check out my easy, step-by-step recipe for Herby Garlic Butter Naan!
