We pack in the flavor for this Curried Chickpea Salad Bowl. Thanks to a delicious combination of spices, including garam masala, turmeric, and garlic powder, as well as a simple creamy sauce to drizzle on top, you will return to this recipe again and again. We certainly do. Jump to the Nourishing Curried Chickpea Salad Bowl
We go a bit bonkers for chickpeas around here. They pack a good amount of fiber, protein, and vital nutrients like folate while being satisfying. Also, I love how well they pick up flavors like the combination of spices we have in this Curried Chickpea Salad Bowl. For more chickpea recipes, we recommend checking out our popular Homemade Hummus, this Chickpea and Cauliflower Salad, and this Easy Chickpea Salad with Lemon and Dill.
Making Our Chickpea Salad Bowls
This salad bowl breaks down into four parts:
- Rice, quinoa, or your favorite grain at the bottom. I love using this Easy Coconut Rice!
- Extra flavorful curried chickpeas.
- A simple salad of finely diced cucumber, bell pepper, and a pinch of salt.
- Our go-to house sauce (we call it our yum sauce), made with mayo (regular or vegan) and toasted sesame oil
You can always add and substitute your favorite salad toppings or cut down on the carbs with a bed of greens instead of rice. Or bump up the flavor and make our Cilantro Lime Rice.
The chickpeas take minutes to make. They are easy. Since we start with canned or cooked chickpeas, all we need to do is heat them through with our spice blend. We borrowed the combination of spices from our recipe for Curry Chicken (so good, by the way).
There’s garam masala, cumin, turmeric, garlic powder, and onion powder. Then to make the chickpeas taste richer, we add some tomato paste. I love them.
Once your chickpeas are heated, you can make a quick salad of finely diced cucumber and bell pepper. Then assemble your salad bowls. Rice or grains go on the bottom, then top with the curried chickpeas, salad, and a hearty drizzle of our sesame sauce. The perfect lunch or dinner!
More Chickpea Recipes
You might also enjoy our Tahini Lemon Quinoa Bowls!
Curried Chickpea Salad Bowls
- PREP
We pack in the flavor for this Curried Chickpea Salad Bowl. Thanks to a delicious combination of spices, including garam masala, turmeric, and garlic powder, as well as a simple creamy sauce to drizzle on top, you will return to this recipe again and again. We certainly do.
Serves 4
You Will Need
For Chickpea Bowls
3 cups cooked cooked rice or cooked coconut rice
2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon neutral oil like vegetable or avocado oil
1 scallion, thinly sliced, optional
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 ½ cups finely diced cucumber
1 ½ cups finely diced red bell pepper
Sesame sauce, recipe below
Sesame Sauce
3 tablespoons mayonnaise or vegan mayonnaise
1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 ½ teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
2 to 3 dashes hot sauce
Pinch salt
Dash dill pickle juice, optional
Directions
- Chickpeas and Salad
- Make Sesame Sauce
Heat the oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the scallion, spices, and tomato paste. Cook, stirring the spices around the pan, for one minute.
Add the chickpeas and 1/3 cup of water. Cook until the chickpeas are heated, and the sauce begins to stick to the chickpeas. Season to taste with salt. Set aside while you make the salad.
For the salad, stir together the cucumber, bell pepper, and a pinch of salt.
If needed, reheat your rice.
Stir sauce ingredients together until well mixed. Taste, and then adjust with salt, hot sauce, or vinegar.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
- How to Cook Dried Chickpeas: To cook your own garbanzo beans from dried, see our Ultimate Guide for Cooking Chickpeas.
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste
Nutrition Per Serving: Serving Size 1/4 of the recipe / Calories 541 / Total Fat 16.8g / Saturated Fat 2.4g / Cholesterol 4.3mg / Sodium 208.7mg / Carbohydrate 80.6g / Dietary Fiber 11.2g / Total Sugars 9.8g / Protein 15.6g
