Vegetarian Chickpea Curry with Turnips

Vegetarian Chickpea Curry with Turnips (slightly adapted from AllRecipes, Servings: 4-5, Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes)

Ingredients

·         2 Tbsp. olive oil

·         ½ onion, diced

·         2 cloves garlic, minced

·         1 Tbsp. ground cumin

·         2 Tbsp. curry powder

·         1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), undrained

·         1 small red bell pepper, diced

·         1 small turnip, peeled and diced

·         1 (15 oz.) can corn kernels, drained

·         1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

·         ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

·         1 pinch salt

·         1 pinch cracked black pepper

Directions

1.)    Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion, garlic, cumin, and curry powder; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes.

2.)    Add the garbanzo beans, red bell pepper, turnip, corn, and tomato sauce. Season with red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are tender and the curry has thickened, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

My first experience cooking with curry and turnips was a major success!  The original recipe calls for simmering for 1.5-2 hours.  I don’t know if that is necessary, my curry was cooked through in about 1 hour.  At that time, I added some more curry powder and cumin as well as ¼ to ½ cup of water and cooked on low for an additional hour.  After it was done, I also added a splash of Sriracha – which, I believe, was the perfect addition!

My husband and I loved this dish!  It was a little spicy, but the curry flavor definitely comes through.  The cumin/curry relationship is fantastic.  The corn, turnip, pepper, and beans all have a nice crunch to them, which goes well if you serve it with rice.  I also served heated mini pita bread bites, and the dish works quite well with those as well.  I cannot wait to make this dish again and again, it is a definite keeper in my book and so easy to make.  If you are a beginner with curry, don’t be scared, this is a great starter dish and so easy to adjust to your taste.  Enjoy!