40+ Fantastic Vegan Indian Recipes: Braised Indian Chickpea Stew
This Indian-inspired chickpea stew features lots of warming spices, chickpeas, cabbage, and carrots. Everything gets braised in the oven and the result is a rich and hearty yet wholesome stew that will satisfy the heartiest of appetites.
Prep time: PT20M
Cook time: PT90M
Total time: PT110M
Rating
4.92 stars (12 reviews)
Keywords
gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free
Ingredients
3 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 large yellow onion, (chopped)
4 medium carrots, (sliced on the bias*)
½ of a medium cabbage, (roughly chopped (16-18 ounces or 450-510g))
4 garlic cloves, (thinly sliced)
2- inch (5 cm) piece of fresh ginger, (grated or minced )
Kosher salt & freshly cracked black pepper
4 tablespoons tomato paste
1 - 1 1/2 teaspoons Indian red chili powder**
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
¾ cup (180 mL) dry white wine***
1 1/2 cups (360 mL) vegetable broth ((plus a little more as needed))
2 (15-ounce/425g) cans chickpeas, ( drained and rinsed)
2 bay leaves
1/3 cup (55g) golden raisins (sultanas)
1 (14.5-ounce/410g) can diced tomatoes
1 cup (240 mL) full-fat canned coconut milk, (stirred well)
6 whole green cardamom pods
4 whole cloves
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 cinnamon sticks ((2-3 inches long))
1 teaspoon garam masala
¾ cup (9g) cilantro leaves (chopped, plus more for garnish)
Lemon juice ((a few squeezes) )
1-2 teaspoons organic cane sugar, (as needed)
Coconut yogurt or other vegan yogurt
White rice, brown rice, or Indian flatbread such as naan or roti
Categories
Dinner
Cuisine
Indian-Inspired
Steps
Roughly grind the whole spices. Add the cardamom pods, cloves, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and fennel seeds to a spice grinder or mortar or pestle. Coarsely grind (just a few pulses with an electric grinder) - you want some texture to remain. Remove the empty cardamom pod shells. Note: If you don’t have either of these tools, see the blog post section “Frequently Asked Questions“
Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.
Heat a Dutch oven or stove-to-oven braising pan over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add the roughly ground spices *and* the cinnamon sticks. Sauté for 60 seconds or until very fragrant, tossing frequently to prevent burning.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan. Next, add the onions, carrots, and cabbage. Season with ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Cook until the vegetables start to soften, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger, and cook for another 2 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and stir frequently for 2 minutes to coat everything. If things start to dry out or seem like they might burn, add a splash or two of water and scrape up the browned bits. Add in the Indian red chili powder, turmeric, and nutmeg, and stir frequently for 1 minute.
Deglaze the pan with the white wine, scraping up the browned bits and fond from the bottom of the pan. Cook until the wine is mostly evaporated and the smell of alcohol has dissipated, about 2 minutes.
Pour in the vegetable broth, chickpeas, bay leaves, raisins, tomatoes, and 1 ½ teaspoons of kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Stir well to combine and bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes, stir again, and then turn off the heat.
Put the lid on the pan, or if it doesn’t have a lid, cover tightly with foil. Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and braise for 1 hour, until the chickpeas and vegetables are soft.At the halfway mark, check to see if the liquid has evaporated somewhat. If so, add additional vegetable broth or water (about 1/4 cup).
Pour in the coconut milk and return the pan to the oven to braise for another 10 minutes. Take out of the oven and discard the bay leaves and cinnamon sticks.
Stir in the garam masala, cilantro, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Taste for seasonings, adding more salt or pepper as needed. If it's slightly too acidic, stir in a teaspoon or two of sugar.
Serve warm with Indian flatbread or over a bed of rice. Dollop on some vegan yogurt before serving or serve on the side.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 414 kcal
Carbohydrates: 50 g
Protein: 12 g
Fat: 19 g
Saturated Fat: 8 g
Trans Fat: 1 g
Sodium: 884 mg
Sugar: 15 g
Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
Reviews
Rajeev @ choppingboards.in on 2025-03-18 (5 stars): Thats some good compilation. I noticed most of the dishes are common on all the platforms. You may want to add breads like Aapam, Dishes like Puttu and Upma into the list. these are south indian dishes by the way. You may want to check some of the south indian dishes which are quite different from the regular ones. Like ishtu (stew), Avial, all vegan by the way. Nevertheless.. love the post. Very long and detailed.
Cilantro on 2023-11-27 (4 stars): Thanks for the blog!!! it is really useful
Monica on 2022-02-27 (5 stars): Hi Nisha!
I'm so glad YouTube introduced me to you. I love your wholesome and loving approach to cooking.
Would you create a video of the chickpea vegetable biryani in your cookbook? I'm a little overwhelmed by the ingredient list and would love a tutorial.
Thank you.
Best,
Monica
Teena Samdadiya on 2021-12-25 (5 stars): Thanks worthy content