Chickpea & Spinach Coconut Curry (Ve)

This recipe is brought to you by Dale Pinnock, AKA the medicinal chef.

Who doesn't love a good curry? Many people are scared to make a curry from scratch, but a basic one is actually very easy to make. This light curry is a great way to get these key beneficial ingredients in and is a perfect option for batch cooking as it freezes beautifully. 

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 × 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 × 400ml tin full-fat coconut milk
• 2 large handfuls spinach
• Juice of ½ lime
• Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
• Optional: fresh coriander to serve

Method:

1. Sauté the onion in the olive oil, along with a good pinch of sea salt until it starts to soften.
2. Stir in the garlic and ginger. Cook for 1–2 minutes until fragrant. At this point, add the ground spices and cook for another few minutes.
3. Stir in the chickpeas and pour in the coconut milk. Simmer gently for 10–12 minutes, stirring occasionally. You need to simmer it long enough for the liquid to reduce and the sauce to thicken.
4. Add the spinach and stir until wilted. Squeeze in the lime juice and season with salt and pepper.
5. Serve warm with brown rice or quinoa, and top with coriander if desired.

Health Benefits:

Chickpeas

They are a good source of non-haem (plant-derived) iron, which is an incredibly important micronutrient for women, especially those that are still menstruating, as menstrual blood loss can lead to a significant reduction in iron. They are also a great source of zinc, which supports fertility and hormone regulation. 

Spinach

It is a great source of magnesium, which is essential for muscle function and helps ease cramps. It is also rich in vitamin K, which is important for bone density regulation and also supports long-term cardiovascular health.  

Turmeric

Has very well documented anti-inflammatory effects, particularly useful for managing chronic inflammatory conditions ranging from joint issues to inflammatory aspects of cardiovascular disease and even reducing the severity of menstrual cramps (Gupta et al., 2013).

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