Theme: Love
Recipe: Chickpeas with Pumpkin, Lemongrass, and Coriander
Cookbook: Tender, by Nigel Slater
When I saw that the theme for this fortnight of the Cookbook Challenge was Love, my first thought was “Bah, humbug”. Actually, that’s a lie. My first thought was actually a duet from Fiddler on the Roof, which I immediately started singing to myself (both parts, because I’m talented like that):
Do you love me?
You’re a fool!
I know… but do you love me?
Do I love you?
For twenty-five years I’ve washed your clothes,
Cooked your meals, cleaned your house…
But after that, I promise you, I thought “Bah, humbug”.
However, a day or so later I was chatting to the BFF, and she asked me if I had any ideas to share for the Love theme. After some surely-very-witty repartee, we came up with a rather brilliant plan. We would make the Love theme a celebration of BFFLOVE, and would choose recipes for each other to make.
See? Brilliant! Particularly as we each sent each other multiple recipes to pick from, including dishes we ourselves loved the look of and dishes we thought the other would love (there was, of course, some crossover).
I wanted to make everything Agnes sent me (and perhaps, one day, I will), but I ultimately chose this recipe for chickpeas with pumpkin, lemongrass, and coriander. Agnes told me she sent this recipe because she loves chickpeas, spices, and Nigel Slater’s Tender cookbook, and now I’m telling you I picked it because I love chickpeas, spices, and the overwhelming sense of achievement I feel when I cook a proper dinner.
This recipe was a winner. I’ve never cooked chickpeas from scratch before, and I loved how they were firmer and nuttier than the canned version. The coconut milk lent a lovely creaminess to the overall dish, and its richness countered the spices beautifully. As you may see, I forgot to buy coriander, and so I garnished my first bowl (for aesthetic purposes) with some entirely inappropriate oregano from the garden.
I’m going to get some fresh coriander for the leftovers, though.
I love that I have leftovers. I love that my leftovers are good for me. I love my BFF. I love that I’m currently wearing a t-shirt from Japan that reads “Crass-Flower-Woods / We Seed Flower – 1994 / We Have Meny Forests”.
I also love Agnes’ Love post, in which she reports back on one of the recipes I chose for her. Make sure to check it out here!
Pumpkin with Chickpeas, Lemongrass, and Coriander
From Nigel Slater’s Tender
Serves 4-6
- 200g dried chickpeas, soaked in water for several hours
- 2 medium onions
- 2 tbsp groundnut oil (I used olive oil)
- 4 cloves garlic
- thumb-sized knob of ginger
- 3 stalks lemongrass
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
- 6 green cardamom pods
- 2 hot red chillies
- 500g pumpkin, weight once peeled and seeded (I used butternut)
- 250ml vegetable stock
- 400ml coconut milk
- 1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds
- handful coriander leaves
- TO SERVE
- cooked basmati rice for 4-6 people
- 2 limes, halved
1. Drain the chickpeas and bring them to the boil in deep, unsalted water. Let them simmer for 40 to 50 minutes, until tender. (My chickpeas only needed 30 minutes, as they’d been soaking for 12 hours.)
2. Peel the onions and chop quite finely. Heat the oil in a deep heavy-based saucepan and add the onions, letting them cook over a moderate heat until soft and translucent. Meanwhile, peel the garlic and the ginger, remove any tough leaves from the lemongrass, then make all into a rough paste in a food processor. (I may or may not have just finely chopped these.) Stir into the softened onions and continue to cook. Add the ground coriander and turmeric, then lightly crush the seeds of the green cardamoms and deseed and finely chop the fresh chillies before stirring them in.
3. Keep the heat fairly low and on no account allow the ingredients to brown. (NO BROWNING! NO BROWNING! Ahem.)
4. Chop the pumpkin into large chunks, though no larger than you would like to put in your mouth (am I the only person who reads this and snickers?), then add to the pan, along with the drained cooked chickpeas and the stock. Bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer and continue to cook at a gentle bubble until the pumpkin is tender (mine took about 20 minutes). Stop as soon as the flesh is yielding to the point of a knife, as you don’t want it to collapse.
5. Stir in the coconut milk and continue to simmer. Put a splash of oil into a nonstick pan and tip in the yellow mustard seeds. As soon as they start to pop, add them to the pumpkin together with the coriander leaves. Serve with the rice and the lime halves, ready to squeeze over at the last minute.
What a brilliant idea Hannah!
I won’t put any chilli in there though, I’ll use ground cumin instead. I am addicted to ground cumin; they don’t sell it in large enough bags!!
I love cooking chickpeas from scratch; I love how they make the house smell.
This recipe is definitely a keeper.
Ah, well, it wasn’t just my idea
I’m so excited by all the possibilities with post-cooked chickpeas. I reckon they’ll be even better roasted than the canned kind! Oh, and cumin is absolutely fabulous – I agree with you there!
I love this BFF idea! What a great way to celebrate ‘love’! I love how this is dairy-free and gluten-free. I love the use of many different spices here. I love chickpeas for they are yummy and high in protein. However, I hate how chickpeas make me farty!
*laughs* Luckily, I’ve never been affected in that way by legumes! It used to be an issue when I cooked beans for my dad and brother, though
This looks sooooo delicious Hannah~I don’t have cardamom, but I do believe I have everything else. Great presentation btw
Aw, thanks Ellie! Even if I did forget to iron the cloth
oh what a great combination of flavors!
Thank you!
This looks delicious! Even with a cookbook, Indian food still intimidates. I’m always afraid I won’t get the spices/sauce just right and it will fall flat. But with chickpeas and pumpkin this is so tempting.
Oh, you need to cast aside your fears, Evan! There’s no need to worry about the spices. Honestly, almost every combination of spices works wonderfully. Particularly when chickpeas are involved
I bet this smelled wonderful also!
Sure did!
Looks yummy, and leftovers! Leftovers are what allow me to eat lunch every day, so I love them. And when I’m home alone, leftovers make up a significant portion of all my meals!
Oh Theresa, you are such the better woman. When I’m home alone (i.e. almost always), oatmeal, peanut butter, chocolate, and cauliflower make up a significant portion of all my meals. I’m actually starting to (re)discover how awesome proper meals, and proper leftovers, are though! Yay for me!
Cauliflower is the best, no? Andy is home during winter, which is when we get it cheap here, so I don’t get to hog it all myself. But cauliflower popcorn (broken up small and tossed with olive oil and salt and then roasted till really caramelised) is our fave – we could eat it every night!
I *love* roasted cauliflower with all my heart. Although tonight I roasted up butternut squash and, must admit, that was pretty darn tasty too
Aww, I LOVE Fiddler! I actually just went and saw it this past weekend. Such a great musical.
I love your BBFLove idea! I need to do that for sure.
About this time last year, I was lucky enough to see Fiddler something like six times in three days because I befriended its musical director
Some of my happiest memories!
BFFlove is the bestest. You should definitely do it
Nooooo stop! Don’t put the coriander in – this looks just perfect without it. I love all the spices except fresh coriander.
And I actually felt a little bah humbug when I saw the theme for the cookbook challenge because I am not into mushy valentines day stuff but I do love a big of fun with colour and shapes!
Oh Johanna, you make me laugh! I must say, though, that I’ll be going against your wishes, as I adore fresh coriander
Oh, and I loved your take on the Love theme! Awesome heart crackers
Ah to be inside that mind of yours … it must be going at 90 during every waking moment!
You had me at lemongrass.
Oh gosh, I’m not entirely sure what you mean there, but I’m going to take it as a compliment
I have Nigel’s book, but have yet to make anything from it yet. I have only heard good things about his recipes though, so can’t wait to try some things out. This dish looks very healthy and comforting at the same time!
Definitely comforting, which I think makes it healthy
I honestly hadn’t heard much about this book before, but judging by the loveliness of this recipe, I’d say it’s a good’un!
This looks great and healthy too!
Thanks K! It was rather lovely
LOL I love your first reaction to the word love! Now wouldn’t that be an interesting poll to find out what everyone’s first reactions to the L word are!
Honestly, Lorraine, I’d prefer it if that *wasn’t* my first reaction, but when you’ve been single for quite some time…
I’ll let you have the pumpkin, but I’ll raise you your song for ‘Sunrise Sunset’ – gets me every time…. *sniff*
Oh Kath! *hug* You have no idea how much I love, and sing, “Sunrise Sunset”. The only one with a more frequent rotation in my head is “Far From The Home I Love”, which my mum often asks me to sing
This looks delicious and almost the entire list of ingredients are not one I use on a regular basis. Looks like a fun recipe to branch out with!
Oooh, looks like you might have a trip to the grocery store in your future then!
This looks delightful!! Chickpeas, pumpkin, and coconut milk are three of my favourite ingredients to cook with.
Hah, singing both parts of a duet is the BEST.
Especially when there’s overlap in the parts, right? ‘Cause that’s when we have to be super clever with our voices
That looks so good. I am craving chickpeas just now, so I think I shall make some dessert hummus
Teehee, I’ve still got to try that myself!
Hannah your recipe looks wonderful! And I love leftovers, too!
New to your blog, your photos are outstanding!
Thank you for popping by, Averie! And what a lovely thing to say, particularly as I’m not at all confident with photography
I go weak for anything cooked with coconut milk. It’s the one thing I crave on a weekly basis after butter and chocolate of course. Looks great Hannah!
Thanks Adrian! Funnily enough, I went off coconut for years (chocolate and nut butter pretty much tick all boxes for me
) but am learning to love it again 
I was looking for the twist…, “Now how has she included chocolate in this” I was thinking. But….., you made a proper meal.., a real live honest to goodness proper meal without the sweet allure of sweetness. Well done…, especially coz this one looks & sounds awesome. Its got great flavours going on there hasn’t it, fresh coriander (my true love in life) would be a great addition with this one.
High Fives girlfriend
High five back! Glad to know you’re proud of me too for making an Actual Proper Dinner
Don’t worry, there’ll definitely be fresh coriander with this one in future! I love it too.
Aaah…a lot of love in this post!! I can see why though…that chickpea with pumpkin dish look freaking good. I’m pissed that I discovered this right after I finished my last batch of chickpeas though.
Love makes the world go round, right? Particularly when chickpeas are involved
Ah, I s’pose you’ll simply *have* to make another batch for yourself!
looks fastastic. I haven’t had enough chickpeas in my lifetime.
Me either! I go through phases of being addicted to roasted chickpeas, or chickpeas straight from the can, and then I forget about them for months on end…
I stopped by today to get your raw spaghetti recipe but must say that this looks delish. I have everything in this recipe and so it may find its way to my table tonight. Thanks Hannah.
You’re more than welcome! Although the raw spaghetti recipe is rather tasty too… oh, dilemmas!
A great read, you are a great writer. The dish looks gorgeous, definitely going to have to make this one. I do love Nigel Slater and have many of his books. Fabulous post, thanks for sharing.
Aw, thank you! I don’t have any Nigel Slater books, so it’s just as well I’ve got my BFF on my side to help me out with recipes
OOOOH, this sounds completely up my alley. I’ve been rediscovering the joy of cooking chickpeas from scratch recently too. I don’t like the stinky smell in the house, but they really do taste so much fresher, and lighter than the canned ones that I think it’s worth it. And then I can make all sorts of delicious hummus too! I have some chickpeas lurking in the cupboard- I might try and make this later in the week. I love pumpkin, spices and coconut too. Actually I was just looking at the lemongrass at Woolies tonight- it looked fabulous! I didn’t buy any because I wasn’t sure what I should make- now I know! And I reckon it’s pretty low GI to boot.
I love the stinky smell
I’m so glad this recipe looks delicious to you, Louise! Having had some more leftovers for dinner tonight, I must ORDER you to make sure you have fresh lime on hand when you make this. A generous squeeze of lime takes this to a whole ‘nother level 
Mmmmmmm, this looks wonderful! I’ve never made chickeas from scratch, but it just happens that I have a bag of dried chickpeas in my cupboard, so I think I’ll be doing something with it soon!
Definitely pull out those dried chickpeas, Kath! It’s so worth it to cook them from scratch. Adding coconut milk is just a bonus
YAY PROPER FOOD. I’m glad I picked a good recipe (pats self on back).
I’m so glad you did too. In fact, dare I suggest that you pick all my recipes in future for the rest of my life forever and ever amen?
Just make sure there are some raw/vegan/peanut butter/chocolate-based options… actually, maybe I should still pick my own, mostly.
Oh I do like the sound of this – pumpkin and chickpeas go so well together. And so pretty! It’s like a bowl of sunshine!
A bowl of sunshine! You’re so right, Helen
And particularly because I made this on a grey rainy day, and it truly did brighten my spirits 
I love you! Er… um… I mean I love this recipe! The chickpeas, the ginger, the hot red chillies… you had me at pumpkin! Looks DELICIOUS!
Aw, thanks Lori! *hugs* This really was delicious – I finished my last lot of leftovers last night and it made me sad to know I didn’t have more on hand!
Can I tell you how much I love all of these ingredients and flavors? I’ve been on a serious curry kick, and particularly yellow/coconut curry. This recipe is going on the “must make” list- All I need is a pumpkin!
How fabulous that this dish calls out to you! It really is yummy, particularly when you add the fresh lime and coriander at the end. I hope you find a pumpkin soon!
Ok, I made this one too. I already had some cooked pumpkin in the freezer so I used that and it probably changed the nature of things. I was surprised at how subtle the flavors were even with all of those spices. I liked it and so did 2 of 3 kids. Not bad.
Did the pumpkin break up a fair bit? That happened once when I was reheating the leftovers, but I quite liked it
You’re right, the spices become rather mellow in association with the coconut milk – lime juice at the end helps add a bit of pizzazz!
You didn’t by any chance notice how much chickpeas you had after you’d cooked them? I want to make this but I’m thinking I’ll stick with canned *red face* my excuse being that I have them on hand and can therefore get this into my belly sooner NOT because I’m ridiculously lazy
Hannah, hand over heart I almost never cook my beans from scratch. Canned all the way!
From memory, I think this was equivalent to about 2 cans of chickpeas. But it really doesn’t matter, however many chickpeas you use will be delicious 
I’ve made this a bunch of times now & we LOVE it. My husband asks me to make it all the time & my 12 month old absolutely loves it too! Thanks!!
Oh Bev, this has made my night! I’m so thrilled
It’s always a good feeling when you find something that not only you, but your family, really love 