Description
Indian Butter Chickpeas is a rich and flavorful vegetarian dish featuring tender chickpeas in a creamy, spiced tomato sauce. This comforting recipe combines aromatic spices, butter, and cream to create a luscious sauce that’s perfect served with rice, naan, or roti. It can easily be adapted to a vegan version by using vegan butter and coconut milk.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter (or vegan butter)
- 540g canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 red onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 0.5 tsp ground coriander
- 0.5 tsp chili powder (or 1 diced red chili)
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 1 x 400g can crushed tomatoes
- 125ml heavy cream (or coconut milk for a vegan version)
- Juice of ¼ – ½ lemon
- Chopped cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
- Sauté aromatics: In a large pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 5–6 minutes until soft. Stir in garlic and ginger, cooking for an additional minute to release their fragrance.
- Build flavor: Add tomato paste, turmeric, cumin, coriander, chili powder, garam masala, and salt to the pan. Cook the spices for 1–2 minutes, stirring frequently to deepen and develop the flavors.
- Simmer the sauce: Pour in the crushed tomatoes and stir well to combine. Let the mixture simmer gently. For a smoother sauce, use an immersion blender at this stage before adding the chickpeas.
- Add chickpeas: Add the drained chickpeas to the sauce and simmer for 10 minutes, allowing the chickpeas to soak up the flavors and the sauce to thicken.
- Finish the dish: Lower the heat and stir in the heavy cream or coconut milk along with the lemon juice. Let everything simmer gently for a few more minutes until heated through and well incorporated.
- Serve: Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve the butter chickpeas hot, accompanied by rice, naan, or roti for a complete meal.
Notes
- For a vegan version, substitute butter with vegan butter and heavy cream with coconut milk.
- Adjust the chili powder or fresh chili according to your preferred spice level.
- Using an immersion blender for a smoother sauce is optional but recommended if you prefer a creamier texture.
- This dish pairs well with basmati rice, naan bread, or roti.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.