I have an excellent recipe for you, as well as a special treat for all of you Loki fans.
Over spring break, my husband and I took our high school junior on a 5-day whirlwind tour of 6 colleges in Illinois, Ohio, and Indiana. We had excellent vegan food, especially in Chicago (Karyn’s on Green just rocks!) but one meal stands out as an unexpected treat. We were driving through Indianapolis after touring our last college, on our way back to Chicago to catch a 9pm flight home, and stopped at an all-vegetarian Indian restaurant called Spice Nation.
We were just in time for the lunch buffet, where all the vegan dishes were helpfully labeled. I will be honest: We stuffed ourselves. Everything was so good, and it was a thrill to be able to eat at an Indian restaurant and not worry about butter or cream. I think all of us would agree that our favorite dish was the one that was put out last, a creamed spinach with chickpeas similar to Palak Paneer but without the cheese.
By the time the spinach dish was put out on the buffet, I was already so full that I could only have a small taste of it. Rich and creamy, it was hard to believe that it was vegan, but the staff assured us it truly was. I came home determined to replicate it at home. Of course, I had to be a little different, so I made my version with kale instead of spinach. But my family didn’t notice, and according to them, it’s as good as the original, which was definitely not low-fat.
I used a few raw cashews for creaminess, but other than that, this rich, flavorful curry contains no oil, not even to temper the spices. I also used soy milk, but you can make it completely soy-free by using rice, almond, hemp, or coconut milk. And, of course, it’s naturally gluten-free.
It was an instant family favorite both for its flavor and for how quick it is to prepare. Even using a bunch of kale that had to be washed, stemmed, and chopped, I was able to make this dish in under a half hour. If you use pre-chopped kale or spinach, you can make it even more quickly.
Creamy Curried Kale and Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 1 large onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 tablespoon ginger root minced, or 1 tsp. powdered ginger
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons garam masala see below
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 8 cups chopped kale 1 10-ounce bunch, about 6 ounces after stems removed, packed
- 1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 cup unsweetened soymilk or other non-dairy milk
- 1/4 cup raw cashews
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast optional
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 15- ounce cans chickpeas drained and rinsed well
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until softened and beginning to brown, 4-5 minutes, adding water by the tablespoon if needed to prevent sticking. Add the garlic, ginger, and cumin seeds and cook for 1 minute. Add the remaining spices and cook for another minute, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
- Reduce heat to medium. Stir in the kale and vegetable broth. Cover and cook until the kale is bright green and tender, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While the kale is cooking, put the milk, cashews, nutritional yeast, and tomato paste in the blender and puree until smooth. When the kale is done, add it to the blender and blend until smooth.
- Transfer blended mixture back to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Check seasonings and add more to taste. Stir in chickpeas and continue simmering about 10 minutes. Add salt to taste and serve over basmati rice.
Notes
1 small cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon black peppercorns Toast lightly in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant (be careful not to burn). Remove from heat, cool, and grind in a coffee grinder or spice mill. Use immediately or seal tightly and store in a dark place away from heat. Makes about 2 tablespoons.
Nutritional info is approximate.
Before our trip, I had to buy a new suitcase. It arrived from Amazon in a big box that Loki immediately decided was our gift to him. I taped his favorite toy to the top and threw some of his balls and stuffed animals inside, and whenever he starts running wild, knocking everything off the kitchen table or climbing up the drapes, I bring him over to his box. This is the result:
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Divorced Kat
May 8, 2017 at 11:59 amGreat recipe! It looks like millions of calories, and it’s my little secret that it’s actually quite healthy!
I have made this twice and followed it exactly (including the nutritional yeast), except at the very end I added a few shakes of cayenne pepper. I divided this into 5 servings instead of 6 and served over a little quinoa. (I’m not a fan of rice.)
Krista
May 11, 2017 at 5:58 pmThis recipe is a favorite that I make often!!
Katie
November 13, 2017 at 1:01 pmJust made this, and it is AMAZING! SO flavourful and filling. I’m putting this in regular rotation, for sure. Even my carnivore husband loves it. Thank you!
Susan Voisin
November 13, 2017 at 1:52 pmThank you, Katie! This is one of those recipes that I wish everyone would try.
Anna
January 17, 2018 at 3:50 amThis meal has become one my favorites, I simply love it, made it many times 😊 Thanks for sharing your great taste in food with us!
Anna
Karli
March 3, 2018 at 6:40 amI tried this last night with green beans. It was delicious. My daughter doesn’t like spicy so I’ll add less pepper to the whole recipe. We really enjoyed it!
Krista
March 3, 2018 at 6:21 pmI just love this recipe! It’s so easy to put together and it makes such a delicious and satisfying meal!
Laura-Jayne
July 2, 2018 at 4:49 amThis is an ammmmmmaazzzing curry! Especially because it negates the natural bitterness of kale. Kale was the only yhing we could grow in our natural garden soil so I have used this so many times ober the years. I searched for this once again because I want to try it with my 2 year old!
Jackie Jardine-Moore
March 25, 2019 at 3:58 pmMade this and absolutely loved it! I am making a second batch of the sauce today to use without the chickpeas over baked potatoes. I can see this will be a great way to up my kale intake and plan to make it often. I am trying the I-Pot this time just to see how it does.
P.S…couldn’t get your “star rating” to work or I would have given it a “5”
R Irene Raymond
October 1, 2019 at 2:24 pmThis is my favorite vegan recipe so far!!! WOW! THANK YOU!!
Aya
October 12, 2019 at 11:17 amI make this recipe a lot, though I use spinach instead of kale, since that’s what Omni husband prefers. It’s so good and the hubs regularly requests it.
Clare Thompson
February 6, 2020 at 1:29 amHave made this recipe over the last few years and just love it, we always want more:)
crystal
March 19, 2020 at 7:00 pmThis recipe is amazing. I can’t wait to eat the leftovers because I can imagine that the flavors meld even more.
Peggy
May 6, 2020 at 6:23 amThis recipe could turn me into a vegetarian. Really, this recipe is fabulous. I didn’t have nutritional yeast or cashews, but it was delicious and I will make this often as a substitute for a hearty meatless meal.
Sarah
July 22, 2020 at 7:54 pmHow long do you think this recipe will keep in the fridge?
Susan Voisin
July 22, 2020 at 9:40 pmI would use it within a week.
ACC
July 29, 2020 at 11:24 amThank you for this recipe! I made it with some alterations. Instead of onion, which I need to avoid right now, I used 2 cups of celery and added 1 tablespoon of onion powder. I also left out the cashews and used more like 1/8 of a teaspoon of hot pepper (and it was still too hot for me, likely because I have been avoiding spicy food in addition to onion–next time I will leave it out). Wasn’t quite right so I added 1 tablespoon of onion flakes and 2 more tablespoons of nutritional yeast. Still needed something and my intuition told me to try tarragon; since my mind and my intuition did not agree, I only used 1/2 a teaspoon, then added 1./2 a teaspoon of cardamon only because my brain confused it with coriander (need to not wait til I’m hungry to cook, clearly) and then I added 1/2 teaspoon of that. I think it’s good and I will be making it again! I did wonder what you would think about substituting the cashews with an equal amount of oat milk yogurt. I might try that next time. Thanks again!
ACC
August 2, 2020 at 4:47 pmAnnnd I should have asked this in my last comment…do you think this would freeze well?
Susan Voisin
August 2, 2020 at 6:09 pmYes, I think it would, but I haven’t tried it.
Jackie
December 29, 2020 at 11:16 amI don’t always leave reviews, but this is fantastic!! I cook mostly Indian food and what I find on pinterest doesn’t always have that authentic Indian flavor, this does!! It’s also not spicy (it can be if you want it to be) so it’s perfect for my kids too. Finding oil free Indian food isn’t always easy- I’m so happy I stumbled across this recipe today!
rushdia omar
July 20, 2022 at 3:25 amLove this recipe