Chickpea, Zucchini and Mushroom Curry

This is another curry that is wonderful if cooking for children.  It's light and mild but also has lots of flavour and lots of nutrients too.  It's not exactly traditional as zucchini isn't really used in Indian cooking, but it does work well.  One thing to keep in mind is that both zucchini and mushrooms release a lot of water when cooking and so you may need to add a little salt or have the stock a bit stronger so that the flavour isn't too 'washed out'.

What you will need:

• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp ginger, finely grated
• 3 tsp ground cumin
• 3 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 medium zucchini, chopped into 1cm cubes
• 2 cups of mushrooms, chopped into 1cm cubes
• 1 tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 - 2 tbsp chopped coriander stems
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 1 cup of chicken or vegetable stock
• 1/4 cup chopped coriander, plus more to serve

What you need to do:

1.  Fry the onion in a large pan over a medium heat until it begins to soften.


2.  Add the garlic and ginger and stir for a minute before adding the powdered spices.

3.  Add the zucchini and cook for a couple of minutes before also adding the mushrooms.

4.  A few minutes later, as both begin to soften, add the chickpeas and coriander stems.

5.  Add the tin tomatoes and cook about one minute, stirring.

6.  Add the stock.  Simmer over a medium heat for about 15 minutes until the zucchini is cooked.

7.  Add the fresh coriander and mix well, cook a further 5 minutes.

8.  Serve with basmati rice.