Omari McQueen's Chickpea Curry

Omari is a vegan recipe developer, entrepreneur and Britain's youngest TV chef! Check him out at @omarimcqueen 

Serves 4

Preparation time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
• 3 white potatoes (about 450 g), peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
• 3 carrots, peeled and cubed
• 400 g tin chickpeas, drained
• 2.5 cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1–2 tbsp mild curry powder
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the chopped onion and red pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until softened.
2. Stir in the potato chunks, chopped carrots, chickpeas, grated ginger, garlic, thyme and curry powder. Use the smaller amount of curry powder if you’d prefer a milder-tasting curry. Cook for another 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Meanwhile, crumble the stock cube into 500 ml of just-boiled water until it dissolves. Stir in the tomato puree.
4. Pour the stock into the pan and give everything a good mix. When it starts to bubble turn the heat down to medium-low, cover the pan with a lid and simmer for 15–20 minutes until the vegetables are tender when pierced with a fork. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve sprinkled with a little extra fresh thyme, if you like, with rice, roti or flatbreads.

TIP: Choosing wholemeal options, such as brown rice or roti made with wholemeal flour, is a heart-healthy habit.

Recipe from Omari McQueen’s Best Bites, Scholastic

Food photography by Xavier Buendia © Scholastic UK