Name: Creamy Curried Chickpeas with Tomato Salad
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 small red onion (½ onion chopped fine, ½ onion sliced thin); ⅓ cup dried apricots, chopped; 2 tablespoons lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1 tablespoon curry powder; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper; 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed, divided; ½ teaspoon plus ⅛ teaspoon table salt, divided; ½ cup plain Greek yogurt; 3 tablespoons mango chutney; 1–2 tablespoons water; 1½ pounds cherry tomatoes, halved; ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves; 2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted

Why This Recipe Works

To add brightness to this plant-based version of the classic British Coronation Chicken, we lightly pickle onions and dried apricots in lime juice. As they sit, we bloom curry powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper in hot oil to release more of their fat-soluble flavor compounds. We mash a quarter of the canned chickpeas, our stand-in for chicken, into the spiced oil to add body and cohesion to our salad before adding the remaining whole chickpeas and the pickled items. Mango chutney provides a traditional hit of sweetness and yogurt and water make the mixture creamy. A simple salad of tomatoes, onions, and cilantro is a refreshing accompaniment.

Before You Begin

Serve with warm garlic naan.

Instructions

Combine ½ small red onion, chopped fine; ⅓ cup dried apricots, chopped; and 2 tablespoons lime juice in medium bowl; set aside.

Stir 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon curry powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper together in 8-inch skillet. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, 1 to 1½ minutes. Add ½ cup rinsed canned chickpeas and stir to coat. Transfer to large bowl. Add ½ teaspoon table salt and mash chickpeas with potato masher. Stir in ½ cup plain Greek yogurt, 3 tablespoons mango chutney, and remaining 2½ cups rinsed chickpeas.

Stir in onion mixture and 1 tablespoon water. If mixture looks sticky, stir in remaining 1 tablespoon water. In now-empty bowl, combine 1½ pounds halved cherry tomatoes; ½ small red onion, sliced thin; ½ cup cilantro leaves; and remaining ⅛ teaspoon salt.

Transfer chickpea mixture to half of shallow, wide serving bowl and tomato mixture to remaining half. Sprinkle chickpea mixture with 2 tablespoons toasted sliced almonds. Serve, passing lime wedges.