Braised Coconut Spinach with Chickpeas and Lemon Recipe

By
Blake Royer
Blake Royer is a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Blake Royer
Blake Royer is a former chef, food blogger, and food writer who contributed recipe ideas and Chicago-based content to Serious Eats from the website’s earliest days.
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Updated Sep. 13, 2020
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Blake Royer

Generally when it comes to curry-like dishes, I opt for authenticity. The variety of dishes across Asia that fall under the general moniker of "curry" is astonishing, made up of a vast variety of seasonings and combinations that could fill a lifetime of cooking (and it would be a pretty happy one). With so much out there to explore, I'm sometimes a little suspicious of recipes that mess with authenticity.

But for some reason, I loved this dish from The Kitchn that sneaks sun-dried tomatoes into a dish of coconut milk, chickpeas, and spinach. It somehow works really well. They don't call it a curry, but the technique and flavor are pretty close to one. In the end, this is a healthy, easy-to-prepare recipe (that also happens to be vegan).

Adapted from The Kitchn.

Recipe Facts

5

(2)

Active: 20 mins
Total: 30 mins
Serves: 4 servings

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Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons oil or ghee

  • 1 small yellow onion

  • 4 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced

  • 1 tablespoon grated ginger, from a 3-inch piece

  • 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

  • 1 large lemon, zested and juiced (about 2 tablespoons juice)

  • 1 dried hot red pepper or dash red pepper flakes (optional)

  • One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

  • 1 pound baby spinach

  • One 14-ounce can coconut milk

  • 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger

  • Cilantro leaves, to garnish

  • Toasted unsweetened coconut, to garnish

  • Cooked rice, for serving

Directions

  1. In a large, heavy pot (such as a Dutch oven), heat the oil or ghee over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook until soft and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, grated ginger, sun-dried tomatoes, lemon zest, and red pepper, if using. Cook until the garlic is fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.

  2. Add the chickpeas and increase the heat to high. Cook until the chickpeas are beginning to turn golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir often to prevent burning.

  3. Add the spinach to the pot (you may have to add it in batches until there's enough room), then add the lemon juice, coconut milk, salt, and ground ginger. Bring to a simmer, and cook until the spinach is very soft and the chickpeas are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Season to taste with more salt and lemon juice as needed.

  4. Serve garnished with cilantro and toasted coconut, with rice.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
606 Calories
27g Fat
79g Carbs
17g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 606
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 27g 35%
Saturated Fat 20g 100%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 912mg 40%
Total Carbohydrate 79g 29%
Dietary Fiber 10g 35%
Total Sugars 8g
Protein 17g
Vitamin C 42mg 211%
Calcium 200mg 15%
Iron 11mg 61%
Potassium 1445mg 31%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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