№ 152 Persian-style chickpea stew

Prep 15 min

Cook 1 hr

Serves 4

• VEGAN

• GLUTEN FREE

Ingredients

100ml olive oil 2 large onions, peeled and very finely chopped

½ tsp turmeric ½ tsp ground cumin ½ tsp ground coriander

¼ tsp cinnamon ½ tsp ground ginger ½ tsp garlic powder 2 x 400ml tins coconut milk 200ml vegetable stock

1 large potato (300g), peeled and diced

175g swede, peeled and diced

1 x 400g tin cooked chickpeas in water 50g sultanas

1 big pinch saffron threads

Salt and black pepper

1 good beef tomato (400g)

50g toasted almond flakes

100g desiccated coconut

1 big handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped

I’ve recently been struck by the simplicity and intense freshness of flavour found in Persian food. This is my take on khoresh gheymeh, a chickpea stew that’s very popular in Iran. It’s a bit 1970s and retro, but I don’t care: the way the coconut milk offsets the spices and delivers the chickpeas is sensational, while the freshness of the chopped tomato at the end, combined with the nuts, coconut and coriander, is a real crowd-pleaser.

Method

Heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan, then add the onions, and sweat very slowly, stirring regularly, for about 25 minutes, until translucent and caramelised, like hotdog onions; be careful not to take them too far and burn them, though. Stir in all the spices except the saffron, and cook on a very low heat for another 10 minutes. Add the coconut milk and vegetable stock, bring up to a simmer, then add the potato, swede, chickpeas and their water (the starchy aquafaba will help give the stew a welcome silkiness), sultanas and saffron, season to taste and leave to simmer for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.

Skin and deseed the tomato (cut a little cross into the base, then blanch in boiling water for five or so seconds, and the skin should come off easily), then finely dice the flesh. Taste the stew, adjust the seasoning to taste, then ladle into a serving bowl and spoon the diced fresh tomato on top. Scatter over the almonds, desiccated coconut and fresh coriander, and eat just as it is, or with plain rice or cousc couscous.