QUICK CHICKPEA CURRY

Serves 4.

You will need:

2 tablespoons sunflower oil 2 cloves A small cinnamon stick 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced 2 onions, finely chopped 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 2 teaspoons ground coriander 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon turmeric Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 x tins of chickpeas, drained 1 x 400g (14oz) tin of tomatoes, or 4 peeled and chopped fresh tomatoes 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger 1 teaspoon sugar 75ml (3fl oz) water 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander, plus a small handful of fresh coriander leaves, to serve Rice, to serve

Put a casserole pot or saucepan sitting over a medium-to-high heat and pour in the sunflower oil. Allow the pot to get warm, then tip in the cloves, the cinnamon stick and the finely sliced chilli, and fry, tossing regularly for a minute until the spices start to darken. Then add in the finely chopped onion, the finely chopped garlic, the ground coriander, the ground cumin and the turmeric, and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Cook, while stirring regularly, until the onion is softened and has turned a light golden colour — about 8-10 minutes — then add in the drained tinned chickpeas, the tinned or fresh chopped tomatoes, whichever you’re using, the finely grated fresh ginger, the sugar and the water.

Bring the curry to a nice simmer, then cover the pot with a lid and cook it for 20 minutes, or until the tomatoes are meltingly tender and the chickpeas have absorbed lots of lovely flavour.

Taste the curry for seasoning, adding some more sea salt and freshly ground black pepper if necessary, then add the chopped fresh coriander. Serve the curry hot, with some fresh coriander leaves scattered over the top and a bowl of steaming rice.