Curried Chickpea Soup

Last weekend I went to lunch with some friends to a delightful mediterranean restaurant called Zameen.
My friend and fellow foodie wanted to try to recreate the chickpea soup they serve there. They call it Moroccan Madness, and when asked the staff said it was flavored with curry, coconut milk and tomatoes.

Here is my attempt, it's very simple to make and very tasty in it's own right.
By the way chickpea and garbanzo bean are the same thing, chickpea has French origins and garbanzo is from Spanish descent.


Curried Chickpea Soup

Ingredients

1 15 oz can garbanzo beans

1 chopped onion

1 tablespoon olive oil

1-2 tablespoons curry powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 cup diced tomatoes or 1 small can tomato paste

1 15 oz can coconut milk

1-2 cups water or veggie stock

juice from half a lemon

salt and pepper to taste

You can certainly cook your own beans, I went for fast and easy. I also like the lighter coconut milk.

1) Chop the onion.

2) Saute in olive oil in a large pot.

3) As it softens add the spices, cook for several minutes.

Here is my homemade curry powder !

4) Deglaze pan with 1/2 cup water, working your wooden spoon or spatula to get all the dark bits up.

I had a cup of diced tomatoes in juice from another recipe so I used that.

5) Add coconut milk, tomatoes, lemon juice and the beans. At this point you can save out some of the beans to add back whole later.

6) Simmer 30 minutes.

7) Once the soup has cooled enough, puree adding more water as needed to desired thickness, add back the whole beans to the puree.

8) Salt and pepper to taste and reheat before serving. You can top it with green onions, or some yogurt!