crispy curried chickpea tacos with spicy mango pineapple chutney
Mixing cuisines: my favorite. Make these Crispy Curried Chickpea Tacos part of your weekly rotation. They’re sweet, full of spice, and oh so nice.
I was really pulling for this recipe to work out after a not-so graceful meltdown about another photographic experience earlier in the day. I’ll tell you, midday lighting is pretty tricky to work with: there’s no good direction from which to shoot since the light is equally diffused on both sides and weird shadows occur no matter where I stand.
Thankfully, this one proved a bit easier to manage and not to mention quite tasty. Healthy, filling, and exotic in its own right. Tacos for your Taco Wednesday delight.
During the summertime, I’m generally more interested in quicker dinners which utilize fresh produce offerings and aren’t too heavy to enjoy when the insane heat takes over. With Chicago Marathon training in full force for both of us, recipes with a well-rounded macro profile – well, as well-rounded as can be without having a specific nutrition oriented background to make things more accurate – also take priority. Chickpeas lend some protein, avocado healthy unsaturated fats, and the chutney plenty of flavor and micronutrients.
The key here is very dry chickpeas. I drain them in a colander and let them hang out for a bit, then spread them onto paper towels and roll gently until as much of the moisture as I can remove is sapped out. Pick out any chickpea skins that detach also. Some people will go as far as ensuring each skin is plucked off, but I’m not quite that meticulous and never experience detrimental results.
Then, toss the chickpeas in a combination of warming Indian spices, some olive oil, and a little bit of salt and pepper. Roast at 425 for 20 minutes, stirring only once. Disturb the chickpeas from their slumber too much and they won’t crisp up properly. Be careful, though: those final 10 minutes are crucial since the chickpeas can quickly go from crunchy to charred. Watch them well. They can be rebellious.
The chutney isn’t a traditional formula. This one involves no cooking and a small amount of lime juice for the tang rather than any type of vinegar. Think Indian fruit salsa. Chili powder keeps it unique and hangs alongside some garlic, cinnamon, red onion, the aforementioned lime juice, and red pepper flakes. Mango and pineapple together are an underrated and thoroughly wonderful coupling. Even I was pleasantly surprised!
Finish the tacos with some creamy avocado and a dollop of plain Greek yogurt or sour cream to cool things down.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
More easy recipes with chickpeas!
Indian Coconut Basil Butter Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 tbsp turmeric
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp ginger powder
- 1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 8 corn or wheat tortillas
- 1 avocado
- plain Greek yogurt, lime, and arugula, to serve
spicy mango pineapple chutney
- 1 cup pineapple, diced
- 1 cup mango chunks
- 1/4 cup red onion, diced
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tsp lime juice
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees and grease a baking sheet.
- Dry chickpeas well by rolling underneath paper towels. Toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, turmeric, cumin, paprika, coriander, ginger, cinnamon, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Roast 20 minutes, tossing around the pan midway through. Keep a close eye on them after 10 minutes of cooking to prevent burning. The chickpeas will crisp up a bit more when you take them out of the oven as well!
- Meanwhile, make the chutney. In a bowl, stir together pineapple, mango, red onion, chili powder, cinnamon, garlic clove, lime juice, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Lay a handful of arugula in each tortilla. Spoon in about 1/4 cup chickpeas and arrange avocado slices atop. Drizzle with chutney, squeeze some fresh lime juice overtop, and finish with a bit of Greek yogurt, as desired.
