When trying to come up with this recipe, I came across many, many variations on chickpea curry dishes, some with yellow curry, some with potatoes or tomatoes, I saw a few that added in spinach or root vegetables. There really is a lot you can do. Because this was a weeknight dinner, I wanted to keep it simple and quick, so I went fairly basic. It really is a quick and easy meal (less than 30 minutes) and you only have to dirty one pot and your rice cooker. My Thai basil is still hanging on in the garden so I thought this would be the perfect dish to use it in. I also really love red curry, it is filled with so many fragrant aromatics like the lemongrass, ginger and red chilis. Red curry can pack a lot of heat, so taste as you go and add more or less depending on your love of spice. Play around with this recipe and the ingredients, I plan on making this often throughout the winter. It is hearty, spicy and perfect for the cooler weather. If you have never cooked with coconut milk, you need to, it is a highly underrated, tasty addition to so many dishes. Lastly, I cannot recommend enough serving this over jasmine rice, it is the perfect addition to this meal and the smell from the rice is one of my favorite smells in the whole world. Of course, brown rice or any other rice will do just perfectly.

Chickpea Red Curry with Coconut Milk
serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 25 ounce can organic chick peas, drained
2 tablespoons red curry paste (I use Thai Kitchen brand)
1 can light organic coconut milk
Pinch of kosher salt
1 teaspoon Thai fish sauce (omit if you’d like to make this vegan)
Large handful of fresh Thai basil, chopped (regular basil will do if you can’t find Thai basil)

Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat, add onion and saute a few minutes before adding the garlic, then add the garlic and cook both until they just start to take on a bit of color, about 10 minutes. Add the red curry paste and coconut milk, whisk briskly to combine the paste with the milk. Bring the sauce to a simmer, taste and add more curry paste if it needs it. Add the chickpeas, a pinch of salt, fish sauce and half of your Thai basil, stir to combine. Allow the sauce to simmer for at least 15-20 minutes. If your sauce becomes a bit too thick for your liking, you can thin it a bit with vegetable broth.

Serve over jasmine rice and top with fresh Thai basil. Salt to taste, as needed.