Latifs Inspired Coconut Chickpea Curry (Slow Cooker)

Source video by Latifs Inspired on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules and is marked for human review.

Latif builds his curry the Bangladeshi way: oil, onions softened slowly, ginger and garlic, then a measured spice mix bhunaoed in hot oil before the wet ingredients hit the pan. The slow cooker version keeps that base hard on the hob (it is where the flavour is made), then tips everything into the pot with the chickpeas, the blitzed fresh tomato puree and a tin of coconut milk. Baby spinach and kasuri methi go in at the end so the spinach keeps its colour and the dried fenugreek lifts the finished dish. Vegan, batch-friendly, brilliant with rice or naan.

Ingredients

• 6 tbspvegetable oil
• 1 cuponion, finely chopped
• 1.5 tspfine salt
• 1 tspginger, grated or finely chopped
• 1 tspgarlic, grated or finely chopped

• 2 tspground coriander
• 1 tspturmeric
• 2 tsphot red chilli powder
• 2.5 heaped tspcurry powder
• Kashmiri chilli powder

• 2 tomatoesfresh tomatoes, blitzed to a puree in a blender
• 1 tin (400 g)chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 tin (400 ml)coconut milk, stirred together before pouring

• baby spinach, washed (add late)
• 1 tbspkasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) (add late)
• fresh coriander, roughly chopped (add late)
• green chillies, sliced (add late)

Method

1. Warm the oil in a wide pan on the hob over a medium-high heat. Tip in the onion with the salt and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring often, until very soft and just sweet. A splash of water if it starts to catch.

   ~12 min

2. Stir in the ginger and garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant and the rawness has gone.

   ~2 min

3. Add the ground coriander, turmeric, hot chilli powder, curry powder and Kashmiri chilli powder. Stir into the hot oil so the spices wake up, then immediately tip in the blitzed fresh tomato puree to stop the spices burning.

   ~2 min

4. Cook the spiced tomato base on a medium-low heat for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring, until the raw tomato edge has gone and the mixture has thickened.

   ~5 min

5. Tip the entire spiced base into the slow cooker. Add the drained chickpeas and the coconut milk. Stir gently to combine.

   ~3 min

6. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours, or high for 3 hours.

   ~300 min

7. In the last 15 minutes, stir in the baby spinach and the kasuri methi. Replace the lid until the spinach has wilted through.

   ~15 min

8. Taste, adjust salt, and scatter the fresh coriander and sliced green chillies over the top. Serve with rice or naan to mop up the sauce.

   ~2 min

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