Vegan sweet potato and chickpea curry bowl

Vegan sweet potato and chickpea curry bowl with coconut milk, baby spinach, ginger and lime – creamy, full of flavour and easy enough for every day – a balanced meal.

At a glance

• Serves 2
• Prep time: 15 min
• Cooking time: 20 min
• Total time: 35 min
• Calories: 420 kcal per serving
• Protein: 12 g
• Fat: 16 g
• Carbs: 55 g

Ingredients

• 1 tin of chickpeas
• 1 onion
• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger
• 1 sweet potato
• 2 handfuls of baby spinach
• 1 tin of coconut milk
• 2 tbsp yellow curry paste (vegan, without added sugar or seed oils)
• 1 tsp turmeric
• A little fresh coriander and lime juice

Method

You’ll need: saucepan · chopping board · knife · sieve · wooden spoon · ladle

1. Peel the sweet potato and cut it into cubes. Finely dice the onion, peel and chop the ginger, and rinse the chickpeas.
2. Heat some olive oil or a little water in a large saucepan and cook the onion with the ginger until soft and translucent. Briefly fry the curry paste and turmeric with them until everything is fragrant.
3. Add the sweet potato and mix it well with the spices. Stir in the coconut milk and bring everything to the boil.
4. Add the chickpeas, reduce the heat and let the curry simmer gently until the sweet potato is soft. Loosen with a little water if needed.
5. Fold in the baby spinach and let it wilt briefly. Season with lime juice and add salt if you like.
6. Spoon into bowls and serve with coriander. If you like, add a little more lime juice on top.

Good to know

A curry like this is just right when you want something warm, creamy and uncomplicated. And even on grey days, it tastes like a bit of a treat.

Swaps

Chickpeas → green or brown lentils (also provide protein, and cook faster) Coconut milk → unsweetened coconut yoghurt or cashew butter + water (still creamy; cashew butter contains tree nuts) Yellow curry paste → mild spice mix of curry powder, garlic, ginger and turmeric (you control the ingredients, often without additives) Sweet potato → squash or cauliflower (more variety, and just as good in a curry)

Allergens

The main things to check are possible allergens in the curry paste and coconut milk, as well as individual sensitivity to pulses. For children, season it mildly, and in pregnancy make sure everything is heated thoroughly and choose a mild curry paste.

Frequently asked questions

What's in sweet potatoes, nutritionally speaking?

Sweet potatoes mainly provide complex carbohydrates, fibre and beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A. They also contain potassium and some vitamin C.

What should I know about chickpeas if I have a sensitive stomach?

Chickpeas contain oligosaccharides, which can cause wind if your digestion is sensitive. Rinsing them thoroughly often helps, and smaller portions are usually more comfortable to start with.

What kind of fat is in coconut milk?

Coconut milk mainly contains saturated fatty acids, including a smaller proportion of medium-chain fatty acids. It suits a curry very well in terms of flavour, but nutritionally it's something different from olive oil or nuts.

What does spinach add to a curry like this?

Spinach provides folate, vitamin K and some iron, plus plant compounds. Its iron is plant-based rather than from an animal source.

Are ginger and turmeric more than just spices?

They contain aromatic plant compounds such as gingerols and curcuminoids, and they make the curry noticeably more rounded and well balanced in flavour.

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