Vegan coconut and pumpkin curry with roasted chickpeas

This low FODMAP vegan coconut & pumpkin curry makes for a delicious and filling meal. In this recipe, I will teach you how to make a curry from scratch, as we can’t use pre-made curry pastes as they normally contain garlic or onion. Once you have mastered this curry base you can experiment by adding different ingredients like tofu or spinach.

I don’t tolerate a lot of chilli so this curry is very mild, if you like your curry hot then you can add more chilli at the end of the recipe. This recipe freezes really well so you can make a batch, freeze it, and then use as a grab and go lunch option.

Don’t be scared of the long ingredient list below. Many of the ingredients are dried spices or staple pantry items which will last for many recipes. Having these low FODMAP ingredients in your pantry will help you create many more delicious low FODMAP meals.

Vegan Coconut & Pumpkin Curry with Roasted Chickpeas    

Serves 4 

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS 

• Fresh vegetables
  
• 240g (8.5oz) Japanese pumpkin (or sweet potato)
  
• 240g (8.5oz) or 2 large carrots
  
• 165g (5.8oz) eggplant/aubergine
  
• Small handful fresh coriander
  
• 1 tbsp olive oil
  

Roasted chickpeas

• 168g (5.9oz) or 1 cup canned chickpeas in water (rinsed)
  
• 1 tbsp olive oil
  
• Curry spice base
  
• ¼ tsp chilli flakes
  
• 1 & ½ tsp ground coriander/cilantro
  
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
  
• 1 tsp ground cumin
  
• 2 tsp crushed ginger
  
• 1 & ½ tbsp garlic infused oil
  
• 22g (0.78oz) or 1/2 cup spring onion (green tips only)
  

Curry body

• 240ml canned coconut milk
  
• 400ml (1 cup) low FODMAP vegetable stock
  
• 1 dried bay leaf
  
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
  
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
  
• Zest & juice of 1 medium lime
  
• 2 tsp cornflour/cornstarch (to thicken)
  
• Pinch of white sugar
  
• Side dish
  
• 1 & ½ cups white rice
  

METHOD 

Curry Prep

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC (400ºF) on bake function and prep the ingredients. Peel and cut the carrots into 2.5cm cubes. Peel, deseed and cut the pumpkin into 2.5cm cubes. Slice the eggplant into 0.5cm slices. Roughly slice the green tips of the spring onions. Roughly chop the fresh coriander (place to one side for serving).
   
2. Open, drain and then rinse the chickpeas. Dry using a clean tea towel until they chickpeas look matt and feel relatively dry. Then remove any lose chickpea skins. Toss the chickpeas with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Line a roasting tray with baking paper. Add the chickpeas.
   
3. Line another roasting tray with baking paper and add the eggplant. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and then season well with salt.
   
4. In a small bowl mix together the chilli flakes, ground coriander, tumeric, cumin, crushed ginger, and garlic infused oil. Open the coconut milk and prepare the vegetable stock if needed.

Start Cooking!

1. Place the chickpeas and eggplant into the preheated oven. Roast for 10 minutes, then flip the eggplant (top should be starting to brown) and turn the chickpeas (by shaking). Cook for a further 10 minutes or until the chickpeas are evenly brown, and the eggplant is cooked on both sides.
   
2. While the eggplant and chickpeas roast, start cooking your curry. Place the rice onto cook according to pack instructions. Heat a large frypan over medium heat. Add the spice and garlic infused oil mixture to the frypan along with the spring onions. Fry for one to two minutes or until fragrant. Add the coconut milk and low FODMAP stock along with the soy sauce, bay leaf and tomato paste. Mix well. Then add the pumpkin and carrots. Bring to a simmer and then turn down to medium low heat. Cover with a large lid. Allow to cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the sauce looks like it is getting too dry, turn down the heat and add a splash of water.
   
3. After 20 minutes check to see if the vegetables are soft (if they aren’t soft continue cooking for another 5 to 10 minutes). If the vegetables are soft, then dissolve 2 teaspoons of cornflour (cornstarch) in 2 tablespoons of warm water and mix through the curry to thicken. Zest the lime while the sauce thickens. Then remove the curry from heat, and mix through the lime zest and juice. Add a pinch of sugar to the sauce if needed and remove the bay leaf. If you like your curry hot, then now is the time to add more chilli flakes if desired. Fold through the cooked eggplant.
   
4. Serve the curry on top of the rice, and garnish with fresh coriander and the roasted chickpeas. If you have any leftovers (which I doubt!) then you can freeze them to eat at a later date.        

Buying tips: 

• Buy tinned coconut milk and check for high FODMAP ingredients like inulin. 
  
• Make sure you get canned chickpeas in water. These are lower in FODMAPs because the oligosaccharides leach out of the bean and into the water (just make sure you rinse them well). Check your ginger puree does not include garlic. Buy a low FODMAP vegetable stock.
  
• Gluten free option: Check that your dried spices, vegetable stock, and soy sauce are gluten free.