Sweet Potato Chickpea Coconut Curry

Let the record show.

There are far less savoury Halloween-themed recipes on the internet than there are sweet ones.

I mean, I suppose that makes sense considering that candy is essentially the hallmark food group for the holiday, but as a result I found myself at a total loss when deciding what to make for a Halloween-themed vegan potluck lunch last month.

Ghosts in a blanket? (AKA vegan hotdogs in puff pastry) Eyeballs in blood sauce? (vegan meatballs and marinara) Roasted pumpkin salad? Pumpkin hummus? Anything that came to mind seemed either too disgusting, conceptually, or far too cliché.

So I decided to widen the criteria and settled on sticking to Halloween colours, black and orange. Since black food immediately conjured up the not-so-appetising image charred bread – I opted for orange.

And that orange came in the form of this frighteningly creamy, spookily sweet yet savoury and scarily delicious sweet potato chickpea and coconut curry.

Cringe-worthy hyperbole ends here – onwards to the recipe!

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Sweet Potato Chickpea Coconut Curry

Course Main

Cuisine Thai

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Author Nada E.

Ingredients

• 1 medium red onion diced
• 3-4 cloves of garlic minced
• 1-2 tbsp of vegan Thai red curry paste
• 2 cups of vegetable stock or water
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 1 can of coconut cream
• 2.5 cups of sweet potato peeled and cubed
• 3 red orange or yellow bell peppers, sliced
• 2 cups of cooked chickpeas
• 1/4 cup chopped coriander including stalks + 2 tbsp to garnish
• Juice of one lime
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

• Begin by sauteeing the onions with the curry paste and a splash of vegetable stock in a large pot on medium heat until fragrant, around 3 minutes. Add in the bell peppers (and more stock as needed) and cook for a further 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add in the sweet potatoes, coconut milk, coconut cream, and the remainder of the vegetable stock and season with sea salt and black pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and then cook on medium heat for 15 minutes before adding in the chickpeas, crushed garlic, lime juice and chopped coriander.
• Cook for a further 5-7 minutes or until the potatoes are completely cooked through.
• Adjust seasonings as needed and serve with your preferred grain of choice and a sprinkling of fresh coriander.

Let’s be honest, this is a sad excuse for a Halloween recipe (and fairly poorly timed, considering it’s almost December – I blame the writer’s block).

That said, it has quickly become one of my favourite go-to curry recipes. Decadently creamy, peppered with chickpeas (my favourite legume, lest you forget) and perfectly spiced. It also keeps very well in the fridge for weeknight dinners and goes great with brown rice, making it an ideal one-pot meal prep contender.

Just a couple cooking notes:

• If you’re aiming for a lower-fat dish, substitute either the coconut cream or milk for light coconut milk. You could also substitute both if you wish, but prepare for a more liquid-y curry base.
• Most conventional Thai curry pastes include shrimp or shellfish – make sure you read the label to and opt for a vegan-labelled brand if possible.

I should also add that this curry received a seal of approval from a lovely group of discerning vegan ladies.

Until next time, friends!