What are the best chickpeas to use?

Because chickpeas are so front and centre here, you want to make sure you're using a good-quality bean. I'm talking about creamy, buttery chickpeas, not the sad, hard and chalky ones you sometimes come across. As a rule, go for jarred beans for the best flavour and quality - I love using the Queen Chickpeas from Bold Bean Co in the UK. Tinned chickpeas will be absolutely fine, but depending on the brand, they may be a little chalky.

Can I make the chickpea salad ahead of time?

Yes! This is a wonderful make-ahead recipe, and it's super versatile in terms of how you can serve it. It will keep well for at least 5 days, stored in the fridge in an airtight container.

How can I serve the chickpeas?

The chickpeas make a wonderful sandwich filling - I love them stuffed into soft, fresh focaccia - but they're equally delicious mixed with crunchy greens. You could also use them to make lovely wraps, spoon them into soft pita bread, pile them onto flatbreads , turn them into a chunky dip, serve with pita chips or sourdough crackers , or stuff them into little gem lettuce cups.

What could I add to the salad?

Sometimes I like to add more greens - spinach is great - or you could add another crunchy element, like finely chopped celery, carrots or red pepper.

Curried Chickpea Salad (Coronation Chickpeas)

Description

If you love coronation chicken, you’ll love these curried chickpeas, aka, coronation chickpeas. This vegan, 10-minute recipe has all the flavours of the classic, in a lovely, fresh new form. Soft, buttery chickpeas are tossed with a creamy, curried coronation sauce to make the perfect salad topper, sandwich filling or chunky dip.

Ingredients

Units Scale

1/2 cup aioli or mayonnaise
1/3 cup sultanas
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1.5 tablespoons sweet chilli jam/mango chutney
2 tablespoons flaked almonds
450g/15oz drained chickpeas (2 tins or 1 large jar)
2 teaspoons nigella seeds
2 spring onions (scallions), finely sliced

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Instructions

Mix your curried coronation sauce. Add 1/2 cup aioli, 1/3 cup sultanas, 2 teaspoons of curry powder, 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder, 1 1/2 tablespoons of sweet chilli jam (or mango chutney) and 2 tablespoons of flaked almonds to a small bowl. Mix well to combine into a cohesive sauce.
Prepare your chickpeas. Drain your chickpeas well, then lay them out on a tray lined with a kitchen towel and pat dry very well. Any water remaining on the chickpeas will make the salad watery, so dry them as much as you can.
Mix the chickpeas and sauce. Add the drained, dried chickpeas to a large mixing bowl along with the curried coronation sauce, 2 teaspoons of nigella seeds and 2 sliced spring onions. Toss well to combine, making sure the sauce is coating all the chickpeas. Serve on top of crunchy greens or spinach, use as a sandwich filler, in a wrap or stuff into pita bread or pile on top of flatbreads. PRO TIP: If you’re using the chickpeas as a filling for sandwiches, give them a little mash with the back of a fork to help them stay inside the bread!

Notes

STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: The chickpeas will keep well for 5 days, stored in a container in the fridge.

INGREDIENT NOTES: The quality of the chickpeas you use will really make or break this recipe. I love to use jarred chickpeas for the best flavour – my favourite when I’m in the UK is Bold Bean Co. However, you can definitely use regular tinned chickpeas here.

SUBSTITUTIONS: You could swap the chickpeas for another white bean, like cannellini beans or butter beans (lima beans). I like using my egg-free aioli in the sauce for the best flavour, but you can use your favourite. Swap the sultanas for dried apricots, cranberries or mangoes, and use chopped almonds, pistachios, cashews, walnuts or hazelnuts in place of the flaked almonds. Make the sauce nut-free by using pumpkin (pepita) seeds or sunflower seeds.

Prep Time: 10
Category: salads
Method: no cook
Cuisine: british

Nutrition

Serving Size: 112g

Keywords: coronation chickpeas, vegan chickpea salad