Spring greens and chickpea curry recipe

Spring greens and chickpea curry served in a white bowl, on a blue tablecloth

Served with rice or as a side dish, this curry packs a punch

(Image credit: Louise Hagger)

published 2 August 2025

This is a wonderfully quick curry to throw together, said Mandy Yin. I prefer using Worcestershire sauce to tamarind, but if you're vegetarian, feel free to just use tamarind paste. Serve on its own with rice, or as a side dish.

Ingredients (serves four)

3⁄4 tsp salt, plus extra for the cooking water
1 small onion, roughly chopped
2.5cm piece of ginger, peeled, chopped
3 garlic cloves
2 fresh red chillies, roughly chopped (optional)
4 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp ground turmeric
300g spring greens, leaves stripped and sliced into 1cm pieces
400g canned chickpeas in salted water, drained and rinsed
250ml UHT coconut cream (usually in a can or carton)
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce or tamarind paste
1⁄2 tsp sugar (only add if using tamarind paste)

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water (like the sea) to a rolling boil.
Using a food processor to save time, finely chop the onion, ginger, garlic and chillies. Transfer the mixture to a large non-stick wok, then add the oil, 3⁄4 tsp salt and turmeric, and place over a medium-high heat. Stir-fry for 9 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid burning.
While the onions are cooking, add the spring greens and chickpeas to the pot of boiling water. Simmer over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Drain thoroughly.
Add the coconut cream, Worcestershire sauce and sugar to the wok. Bring to the boil, then turn off the heat. Add the spring greens and chickpeas to the sauce, stir to combine and serve.