Instant Pot Spiced Chickpea Stew with Coconut and Turmeric Recipe (2024)

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Last year, I discovered Alison Roman’s Spiced Chickpea Stew with Coconut and Turmeric, and I immediately fell in love. Since then, I’ve made a few adjustments of my own, including the use of an Instant Pot. This vegan-friendly stew is perfect for the approaching autumn months, but is also surprisingly tasty even in the summer.

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Instant Pot Spiced Chickpea Stew with Coconut and Turmeric Recipe (1)

To make this stew, you start by cooking garlic, onion and ginger in coconut oil until tender. Then, you stir in lots of turmeric, red pepper flakes and chickpeas. The original recipe calls for canned chickpeas. Here, I’m using dried chickpeas that have been soaked overnight. Canned chickpeas are such a wonderful convenience item, but I really do love the flavor and texture of soaked chickpeas more. And they cook up just as quickly when you use an Instant Pot!

Once the spices have sizzled a bit in the oil, you add coconut milk and stock, clamp on the lid, and cook under high pressure for just 15 minutes! After pressure releases, you stir in some kale and cook until wilted.

I also deviate from the original recipe when it comes to toppings. I like to ladle up a hot bowl of stew, then top with a spoonful of labneh, cilantro leaves and a sprinkling of toasted coconut and mustard seeds. You guys, this SO delish. Continue reading for the Spiced Chickpea Stew with Coconut and Turmeric recipe.

Instant Pot Spiced Chickpea Stew with Coconut and Turmeric Recipe (2)

I love using dried/soaked chickpeas here, because I think they taste better, and they also have a pleasant texture when cooked properly in an Instant Pot. Alison Roman’s original recipe called for two cans of chickpeas, so to get the equivalent from dried, you need to start by soaking two cups of dried chickpeas in water overnight. Next, drain the chickpeas and measure out 500 grams (about 3 cups). Store any leftover chickpeas in the fridge and use for a different recipe!

  • Instant Pot Spiced Chickpea Stew with Coconut and Turmeric Recipe (3)
  • Instant Pot Spiced Chickpea Stew with Coconut and Turmeric Recipe (4)

While the stew is cooking, you can prepare the toppings. Start by toasting some unsweetened coconut flakes in a skillet just until they begin to brown. Then add black mustard seeds and cook until they start to pop. This toasted coconut topping adds some nice crunch to the stew while amping up the coconut flavor.

Instant Pot Spiced Chickpea Stew with Coconut and Turmeric Recipe (5)

In addition to the toasted coconut, I love to serve this stew with labneh, a thick and tangy Middle Eastern yogurt, and fresh cilantro. But the beauty of stews like these, is that you can top it with whatever you like. I personally like to add something creamy, crunchy and fresh. Don’t have labneh? Try full fat Greek yogurt or even sour cream. Mustard seeds not in your pantry? Just sprinkle on toasted coconut or chopped, roasted peanuts. Hate cilantro? Use basil or parsley instead! You can really get creative with toppings.

Instant Pot Spiced Chickpea Stew with Coconut and Turmeric Recipe (6)

4.73 from 11 votes

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Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Inactive Time 8 hrs 30 mins

Total Time 9 hrs 5 mins

Course Dinner, Soup

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 350 grams (2 cups) dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 (2-inch) piece ginger, finely chopped
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 (15-ounce) cans full-fat coconut milk
  • 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
  • 1 bunch lacinato kale, stems removed, cut into bite-size pieces
  • Juice of 1/2 lime
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
  • 2 teaspoons black mustard seeds

Labeh (or full-fat Greek yogurt), for serving

    Cilantro leaves, for serving

      Instructions

      • Drain soaked chickpeas, measure out 500 grams (about 3 cups), and set aside. Store any remaining chickpeas in the fridge for another use.

      • Using the saute function, warm coconut oil on high in an Instant Pot. When it’s hot, stir in garlic, onion, ginger a pinch of salt and a few turns of black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft (about 5 minutes). Add turmeric, red pepper flakes and chickpeas, then cook, stirring frequently, just until you start seeing some brown bits form on the bottom of the pan (about 5 minutes).

      • Add coconut milk and stock, then scrape up any brown bits that formed on the bottom of the pot. Stir in 1 teaspoon salt, cover and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally, then return the pot to the saute function. Using a wooden spoon, smash some of the chickpeas along the side of the pot, then stir in kale. Cook until the greens wilt and soften (about 5 minutes). Stir in lime juice, then season to taste with salt and pepper.

      • While the stew is cooking, prepare the topping. Add coconut to a medium skillet over medium heat, and toast, stirring occasionally, until just golden at the edges (2 to 3 minutes). Stir in the mustard seeds and cook for 1 minute more.

      • To serve, ladle soup into a bowl, then top with a dollop of labneh, fresh cilantro leaves and a sprinkling of toasted coconut and mustard seeds.

      Keyword instant pot, instant pot stew, spiced chickpea stew

      Tried this recipe?Tag @brandiego on Instagram so I can check it out!

      201

      Brandon

      I’m Brandon: food explorer, recipe curator, co*cktail shaker, dessert lover. Kitchen Konfidence is how I document my time spent in my favorite space, the kitchen. Did you make a recipe? Tag @brandiego on Instagram so I can see the how it went!

      Instant Pot Spiced Chickpea Stew with Coconut and Turmeric Recipe (2024)

      FAQs

      What is the stew that broke the Internet? ›

      This is #thestew, Alison Roman's internet-famous recipe, as delicious as it is beautiful. Spiced chickpeas are crisped in olive oil, then simmered in a garlicky coconut milk for an incredibly creamy, basically-good-for-you dinner that evokes South Indian chickpea stews and some stews found in parts of the Caribbean.

      How to use the stew setting on instant pot? ›

      Add meat, seasonings and liquids to the pot. Secure and lock the lid. Select the Meat/Stew button. The default Instant Pot meat setting is pre-programmed to set the pot to cook at High pressure for 35 minutes, which is suitable for most dishes like beef stew or pulled pork.

      What is a stew that never ends? ›

      Perpetual stew is essentially a stew that transcends time. Essentially, people turn on their crockpots to make a stew that keeps cooking, eating some of it, replenishing the leftovers with additional ingredients, and, well, you get the idea. A kind of bottomless, never-ending-stew.

      Is canned coconut milk the same as coconut cream? ›

      Coconut cream is the same thing as coconut milk—coconut meat blended with water—but it contains less water. While coconut milk is thin like cow's milk, coconut cream is thick like whipped cream. You can find this fat-rich cream floating on the top of any canned coconut milk, or you can buy it in a dedicated can.

      Is stew better in the slow cooker or Instant Pot? ›

      Taste: For overall taste, the pressure cooker was the hands-down winner. Beef, carrots, and potatoes all retained their rich flavors. After 8 hours in the slow cooker, they emerged bland and seemed to need salt.

      Why does my Instant Pot burn stew? ›

      Why Does My Instant Pot Say "Burn?"
      1. Your steam valve isn't sealed. A pressure cooker can't pressure cook without steam. ...
      2. There isn't enough liquid. A closed valve isn't the only thing you need for pressure cooking. ...
      3. You added ingredients at the wrong time or in the wrong order. ...
      4. Something's up with your Instant Pot.
      Jun 16, 2021

      Why is my Instant Pot not pressurizing my stew? ›

      SOLUTION: Open the Instant Pot and make sure there's enough liquid. If too much liquid has evaporated, the Instant Pot won't pressurize, so add more liquid if necessary. Close the Instant Pot and resume pressure cooking. If you have trouble closing the lid, move the steam release handle to the VENTING position.

      Was perpetual stew real? ›

      Once a common dish in medieval times, perpetual stew's origins can be best described in British historian Reay Tannahill's book, Food in History. In the Middle Ages, Tannahill writes, pubs and inns always had a cauldron of stew boiling in case weary travelers or guests wandered in, day or night.

      How does perpetual stew not go bad? ›

      According to HowStuffWorks, as long as it is maintained at 200 degrees F (93 degrees C), which is the temperature required for a steady simmer, nothing bad can grow.

      What is the longest going perpetual stew? ›

      In Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (Bangkok), there is an award-winning restaurant called Wattana Panich, where you can order and then eat a beef and goat soup that is 49 years old.

      Why do they call it stew? ›

      The root of stew is the Old French estuver, "bathe or stew." Back in the fourteenth century, stew was also a slang word meaning "brothel or bath house." thick stew made of rice and chicken and small game; southern U.S.

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