Melt-In-Your-Mouth Afghani Chickpea Curry

Method

1. Heat the coconut oil or ghee in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the cardamom pods and cinnamon sticks and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.

   3 tbsp coconut oil or ghee8 green cardamom pods2 cinnamon sticks

2. Add the onion, ginger, and garlic. Cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent.

   1 onion1½ tbsp fresh ginger1½ tbsp fresh garlic

3. Stir in the ground coriander, cumin, cloves, turmeric, and chili powder. Sauté for 1 minute to bloom the spices.

   4 tsp ground coriander4 tsp ground cumin¼ tsp ground cloves2 tsp ground turmeric¼ tsp chili powder or cayenne pepper

4. Add the red lentils and 2 cups of the water. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes, intentionally cooking the lentils until they start to break down.

   ½ cup dried red lentils2 cups water

5. Add the chickpeas, chicken stock, remaining 1 1/2 cups water, salt, and baking soda. Stir well.

   850 g chickpeas500 ml low-sodium chicken stock1½ cups water1 tsp kosher salt¼ tsp baking soda

6. Simmer uncovered over medium to medium-high heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chickpeas are very tender and the lentils have thickened the sauce into a thin gravy. Add a splash of extra water if it gets too thick before the chickpeas are creamy.

7. Serve the curry over cooked rice with yogurt and fresh coriander on top.

   4½ cups cooked rice12 tbsp yogurt6 tbsp fresh coriander

Per serving, estimated: 520 kcal · 19 g protein · 78 g carbs · 16 g fat