Chickpeas in a coconut curry sauce

This is a very simple and delicious dish. I have to admit that although I love curry, I never really enjoyed making it. I would always worry too much about following a recipe and somehow they never tuned out quite right. Until one day, I was in a rush to cook dinner, and decided to just wing it. I used all the flavors I love, added extra of what I liked and left out what I didn’t. I was amazed at how delicious it turned out. Even though that is the rule I usually follow when I cook, for some reason I was intimidated by making a curry. My fears were unfounded however, and it turns out, as with all cooking, cook with your heart, with your tastebuds, and all will turn out right.

Another thing I do is use whole spices as opposed to ground when possible. The ingredients I use fresh ginger, garlic, and turmeric (carefully - it stains, or use gloves) for these I use a microplane or a fine grater . For the cardamon, whole cumin, and coriander seeds put all of the spices in a mortar with a little salt and grind them. They make a huge difference!

Here is the recipe, I hope you enjoy it!

You will need;
1 TBSP coconut oil
2 onions chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds (to grind)
5 cardamom pods (to grind)
½ tsp coriander seeds (to grind)
½ teaspoon salt (to grind)
½ tsp pepper
3 garlic cloves grated or minced
3 tsps fresh ginger grated or minced
1 TBSP fresh turmeric grated or minced
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp allspice
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 large can chickpeas (1 lb 13 oz)
4 oz+ coconut milk

Now the fun starts-

Saute your onions over medium heat in the coconut oil until they are translucent and soft. This will take a few minutes.