Tis the season for all things soup and stew including this curried chickpea and plantain stew that’s a family favorite. As the chief soup and stew lover in this house, I rarely make either anymore because only Little Z loves them as much as I do. But alas, we shall enjoy what we like and everyone else can fend for themselves. Ha! I usually make a stew with a secondary meal for these haters.
Anyway today I am sharing this Caribbean inspired stew because it is so good, pretty healthy and definitely filling. There are chickpeas and plantain of course but the recipe also includes collard greens I picked straight from our garden. YUM on every level.
What makes this a stew and not a soup? The consistency. It is thickened by the breaking down as they continue to cook. I could have easily made it more of a soup consistency by adding more liquid but I like it like this so here we are. I also like that if necessary, I could pour this on top of rice. I have a Middle Eastern rice recipe I’ve been trying to perfect forever. This stew would go perfect with it. When you make it, adjust to your liking.
Recipe Notes
Vegetable stock makes this recipe vegan friendly but you can substitute with any other clear stock of your preference. Plain water will also work in a pinch.
As for the leafy greens, the initial plan was to use callaloo as that would be more traditional being from Jamaica. Because I have collards growing in the garden just waiting to be cooked, I went ahead and used them. Ideally you want to use a fresh leafy green but I have made this very recipe used canned callaloo and it worked out just fine. Hopefully I can get a callaloo growing in my spring and summer garden. I friend use to grow them in her garden here so I know it can happen. Fingers crossed.
If you like Caribbean food, you will enjoy my easy Chicken Rasta Pasta too.
In a cast iron pot, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the carrots and cook until semi soft. Add the plantain and cook on both sides until golden brown. Add in shallot and peppers, stir and cook until shallots are soft. Stir in 1 tablespoon of curry powder. Add ginger, coconut milk, stir. Add stock, bay leaf, Worcestershire and Tabasco. Stir Let simmer for 20 minutes. Remove bay leaf then add collard greens. Stir and let simmer for 25-30 minutes more. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Garnish with fried plantain and roasted chickpeas. Serve immediately. Can be served with rice or standalone with or without garnishments.
Use vegetarian stock to make recipe vegan friendly. Curried Chickpea and Plantain Stew
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2 Comments
April
January 27, 2022 at 3:04 PMI don’t see ginger in the ingredients list but it is listed in the instructions. Could you let me know how much of this ingredient is required for this recipe? Thanks!
Mary
March 31, 2022 at 7:14 PMHi there, the directions say add ginger, but I do not see ginger in the list of ingredients. Can you please advise? Thank you