Lamb and chickpea stew
A hearty stew of lamb and chickpeas richly spiced with warming cinnamon. This deceptively easy recipe is both gluten free and dairy free.
Ingredients
- 500 g diced lamb meat
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 whole whole chilli optional - dried or fresh
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp cumin
- 3 cardamom pods, cracked open or a quarter tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 400 mL chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp pomegranate molasses see note
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed or about 250g cooked chickpeas
Garnish
- pomegranate seeds
- mint leaves
Instructions
- In a medium pot heat oil and fry garlic and chilli for a few moments until it is fragrant. Add the lamb and cook for five minutes, browning the sides.
- Add all the spices and allow to cook for one minute before adding the stock, tomato puree and molasses / syrup.
- Cover with a lid and cook for thirty minutes on a medium to low heat, stirring occasionally.
- Add the chickpeas to the pot and cook for thirty minutes or until the lamb is tender.
- Once tender season the pot as required (you shouldn't add salt before the chickpeas are cooked!).
- Serve in bowls with a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds and torn mint leaves.
Notes
Save time by buying diced lamb. Look for lean lamb with minimal fat.
Save money by buying lamb leg steaks and cutting them yourself. Take care to remove as much fat as possible.
Servings - you can do this meal with less meat (say 250g) and have it as two servings with a larger portion of chickpeas per person.
If you don't have pomegranate molasses use a sweet syrup instead like golden syrup or dark syrup. Pomegranate molasses adds a sweet note with the tanginess of pomegranate and is typical in Persian cooking. You can often find it in supermarkets but it might take a bit of searching.
Serve this dish as it is or with sides like rice, fresh bread or flat breads. Simple salads like fresh cucumber and mint are a great accompaniment. I also like some yoghurt with fresh mint to complement the rich spices of the stew.