Lemony Quinoa with Black Chickpeas and Spices

While this is technically not a one-pot meal, as the quinoa and chickpeas are cooked separately, this nourishing and balanced dish all comes together in one pan, with very little preparation time. I find dishes such as this one are perfect for mid-week meals when I don't have the time or inclination to fuss over dinner. As is usual in my kitchen, I like to spice things up, but as always, my recipes are guidelines that can easily be adjusted to suit ones tastes. I like the unique texture and stronger flavor of black chickpeas, as they do go well in spiced up dishes, but yellow chickpeas could easily be used instead. Serve with a vegetable side, or include some greens, such as spinach or green peas, during the last few minutes of the cooking time.

Lemony Quinoa with Black Chickpeas and Spices

Recipe by Lisa Turner
Published on March 18, 2020

Quinoa and black chickpeas cooked with spices, chilies and lemon juice for a simple, nourishing and colorful dish

Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 15 minutes

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Ingredients:

2/3 cup dried black chickpeas (2 cups cooked)
1 cup quinoa (3 cups cooked)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1/2 tablespoon split urad dal
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced or shredded
2 to 4 red or green chilies, seeded and minced
small handful of dried curry leaves
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon asafetida
1 medium tomato, diced
juice from 1 lemon (3 tablespoons)
small handful of fresh parsley, trimmed and chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste

Instructions:

Rinse and soak the black chickpeas in several inches of water for 8 hours or overnight. Separately, rinse the quinoa and soak in 2 cups of water for 8 hours or overnight.
Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Transfer to a medium saucepan and cover with fresh water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the beans are tender — 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Drain and set aside.
While the beans are cooking, bring the quinoa and soaking water to a boil in small saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, let sit for 5 minutes, and then fluff with a fork.
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat. When hot, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds, and cook until the mustard seeds turn grey and begin to splutter and pop — about 60 seconds. Add the ural dal, and fry for a few minutes until the dal turns golden brown. Reduce the heat to medium and add the ginger, chilies and curry leaves. Stir for a few minutes and then add the turmeric, ground coriander, ground cumin, paprika and asafetida. Stir for 1 minute until fragrant, then add the tomato and cook for another few minutes to soften.
Now stir in the drained chickpeas and quinoa and mix well to combine. Add half of the parsley, and cook for another few minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and salt. Remove from heat.
Serve hot, garnished with the remaining parsley.

Makes 4 to 6 servings