My copies of Rose Elliot’s vegetarian cookbooks, Not Just a Load of Lentils and The Bean Book, have been on my bookshelves for ages and are much thumbed!
First published in the 1970s, her recipes have withstood the test of time–and the ingredients often fit in with my adopted way of eating.
This is adapted from a recipe in The Bean Book.
I made it in the morning and gently reheated it in the evening–giving the spices time to settle and meld. We had it for supper last night and it was worth the wait.
Meredith is wary of pulses because of their tendency to cause flatulence.
This time the positive outweighed the negative and she gave it the thumbs up–phew!
for 4
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1 small onion–chopped
1 clove of garlic–peeled & chopped
1/2 teaspoon of powdered cumin
1/2 teaspoon of powdered coriander
1/2 teaspoon each of garam masala ( an earlier post), turmeric, ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne/chili powder
1 teaspoon fresh root ginger–peeled & chopped (optional)
1 large jar of cooked chickpeas–drained (the precise quantity is not critical!)
2 fennel bulbs–outer leaves removed, quartered and chopped
1 large leek–damaged outer parts removed, cut down to the base, washed and sliced
2 tablespoons of parsley or coriander–chopped
1 pint of vegetable stock (I use organic cubes diluted with boiling water.)
- Heat the oil in a pan.
- Gently fry the cumin seeds until they start to pop.
- Add the onion and garlic and soften–about 3 minutes.
- Add the spices and mix them in.
- Add the chickpeas.
- Add the leeks and fennel and mix.
- Add the stock–start with half a pint and adjust as needed.
- Bring the mixture up to boil, then cover the pan and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Fold in a tablespoon of parsley or coriander.
- Sprinkle the second tablespoon of parsley or coriander over the dish when you serve it hot with…
- Brown basmati rice and yogurt sauce (see the next post).
Robin Ellis 
Yum!! That looks and sounds divine – I’m starving 🙂
I have the bean book which I bought when it came out. I do like chickpeas, well most pulses in fact.
oh, my, this is seriously competing with the chicken curry I planned tonight LOL! this looks FAB.
I was just thinking today how I have lost my soup touch. I don’t know why it is that every so often I need an infusion of inspiration to make my cooking good again. I’ve never used gram masala, isn’t it a constituent of curry like some of the other spices in this recipe? And coriander is the seed of cilantro?
There’s a recipe for garam masala on the blog–highlighted in the Chickpea curry post.
coriander is the seed of cilantro which is known in Europe as fresh coriander.
I had a chickpea & curry concoction similar to this at a fine restaurant in historic Frederick, Maryland recently. I so enjoyed the meal I have been looking for a recipe to try. I’m going to gather the ingredients at the market and try it this weekend. Thanks very much. – Brian, Jefferson, Maryland
This sounds wonderful, but I’m not a fan of fennel. Any ideas on what a possible substitute could be?
The bean book is indeed a classic. It’s worth reading through the first chapters where Rose Elliot includes recommendations on how to ensure that beans bought in their dry form are easily digestible. No need to be so wary of pulses!
Made this for dinner this past weekend. It was very good. First time I have ever eaten or cooked with fennel. I liked it very much. I found this dish best left to sit a few hours or overnight to incorporate flavors. The yogurt sauce on top was the icing on the cake. Thanks for another great recipe. –Mary