Maroons' medicine chest

Coconut Curry Chickpea Soup

Curry is a delicious powerhouse of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant richness that has been popular for millennia across Africa & Asia. This dish is a best-seller at Calabash locations and can be served as a soup or stew over brown/black rice.

Ingredients

Before you start, cube 4 medium potatoes (2-inch squares) and boil until soft.

  • 2 tbsp Aunt Gem’s Favorite Curry
  • 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Cold-Pressed Coconut Oil (contains medium chain fatty acids that are more stable at high heat than olive oil)
  • 1 large yellow or red onion - chopped (rich in antioxidants, helps in preventing infections)
  • 4 cloves garlic - chopped (nature's antibiotic, helps prevents heart disease, wards off the germs, hypertension & vampires)
  • 5 cups water
  • 1/4 - 1/2 tsp Celtic or pink salt (white sea salt or kosher salt does not have the array of minerals we need that the aforementioned salts have)
  • 4 cups chickpeas drained and rinsed (one of nature’s perfect proteins)
  • 1 can coconut milk (essential fatty acids to soothe skin, hair & nails from the inside out)
  • 2 cups baby spinach leaves (rich in iron and fiber)
  • 1/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper (the alkaloid called piperine in the black pepper makes the anti-inflammatory curcumin in the turmeric more bio-available)
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme (de-stemmed) or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/8 tsp scotch bonnet powder or cayenne (improves blood circulation & offers vitamin C which helps iron absorb)
  • 1 tsp Arrowroot powder (contains potassium, iron and B vitamins, which are great for metabolism, circulation and heart health, gluten-free)

Directions

Heat a large, deep saucepan on medium heat. Add the coconut oil and then curry. Stir the curry in the oil to “burn it’ brown the (thereby coating the spice with the oil. It will go from golden yellow to medium brown. Do not blacken it).

Quickly add the black pepper, chopped thyme, garlic & onion. Coat the onions and garlic in the curry sauce. Add water. Add potatoes then coconut cream.

Add scotch bonnet pepper, spinach & chickpeas. Cover and let simmer on low for 30 minutes with top of pot giving a little room for steam to escape. Turn off and serve.

Tip: If you want this as a thicker stew to serve over a grain like rice, prep 1 tsp of arrowroot powder stirred into cup of cold water. Stir this mixture into the pot after simmering the 30 minutes. Leave heat on for an additional 10 minutes to thicken. Turn off and serve!

This is a great dish to freeze in small portions to eat later on those days no one wants to cook. 
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