Name: Confit Tandoori Chickpeas
Yield: Serves 8
Ingredients: 2 (15 oz/425 g) cans of chickpeas, drained (17 oz/480 g total); 11 garlic cloves, peeled, 10 left whole and 1 minced; 1 oz (30 g) fresh ginger, peeled and julienned; 14 oz (400 g) datterini or regular cherry tomatoes; 3 small Fresno chiles, mild or spicy, with a slit cut down their length; 1 Tbsp. tomato paste; 2 tsp. cumin seeds, roughly crushed with a mortar and pestle; 2 tsp. coriander seeds, roughly crushed with a mortar and pestle; ½ tsp. ground turmeric; ½ tsp. chile flakes; 2 tsp. red Kashmiri chile powder; 1 tsp. sugar; ¾ cup plus 2 Tbsp. (200 ml) olive oil; ⅔ cup (180 g) Greek yogurt; ¾ cup (15 g) mint leaves; 1½ cups (30 g) cilantro, roughly chopped; 2–3 limes (juiced to get 1 Tbsp. and the rest cut into wedges to serve); Salt

Photo of a bowl of chickpeas made with garlic chiles and cherry tomatoes.

Photo by Elena Heatherwick

These tandoori-spiced chickpeas have had their fair share of Insta fame for a multitude of reasons. The first being that the simplicity of the dish makes it really quite attractive: Throw everything into a pan and pop it into the oven, leaving it to its own devices (and you to yours). The second being that slow-cooking the chickpeas in oil without liquid makes them super soft, allowing all the aromatics to break down into the oil. Lastly, this dish can easily be made ahead and served later; it only improves with time. Swap out Greek yogurt with a nondairy alternative for a completely vegan meal, and serve with rice.

Ingredients

Serves 8

2 (15 oz/425 g) cans of chickpeas, drained (17 oz/480 g total)

11 garlic cloves, peeled, 10 left whole and 1 minced

1 oz (30 g) fresh ginger, peeled and julienned

14 oz (400 g) datterini or regular cherry tomatoes

3 small Fresno chiles, mild or spicy, with a slit cut down their length

1 Tbsp. tomato paste

2 tsp. cumin seeds, roughly crushed with a mortar and pestle

2 tsp. coriander seeds, roughly crushed with a mortar and pestle

½ tsp. ground turmeric

½ tsp. chile flakes

2 tsp. red Kashmiri chile powder

1 tsp. sugar

¾ cup plus 2 Tbsp. (200 ml) olive oil

⅔ cup (180 g) Greek yogurt

¾ cup (15 g) mint leaves

1½ cups (30 g) cilantro, roughly chopped

2–3 limes (juiced to get 1 Tbsp. and the rest cut into wedges to serve)

Salt

Preparation

Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Step 2
Put the chickpeas, whole garlic cloves, ginger, tomatoes, chiles, tomato paste, spices, sugar, oil, and 1 teaspoon of salt into a large, oven-safe sauté pan, for which you have a lid, and mix everything together to combine.
Step 3
Cover with the lid, transfer to the oven and cook for 75 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the aromatics have softened and the tomatoes have nicely broken down.
Step 4
Meanwhile, put the yogurt, mint, cilantro, lime juice, minced garlic, and ¼ teaspoon of salt into a food processor and blitz until smooth and the herbs are finely chopped.
Step 5
Serve the chickpeas directly from the pan, with the yogurt and lime wedges alongside.

Author's Note:

Jarred or canned butter beans (lima beans) would be great here! No Kashmiri chile powder? Use an equal amount of paprika instead.

Image may contain: Food, Bread, Pizza, and Pita

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Reviews (37)

This was indescribably delicious. Even my meat-loving husband raved about it! I'm looking forward to eating it again tonight!
- heidikins
- Park Ridge, IL
- 2/23/2023
Utterly delicous. Wonderful flavors. So simple to make! I cut rhe oil by 2/3 (used 1/4 cup). Also used nonfat yogurt. Still delicious! Highly recommend!
- Anonymous
- Brewster MA
- 2/19/2023
This was fabulous. Made exactly as written but doubled it for a meatless main and served with a radish, cucumber, and onion salad (dressed with evoo, lemon, s&p), and naan. The bomb. The yogurt sauce was worth it and brought it all together!
- Anonymous
- Dallas
- 1/10/2023
This is an amazing recipe! Like someone else said - very riffable. I add a large diced eggplant and reduced the hot pepper by half. Also reduced oil by half. Did not bother with the yogurt sauce - did not have the time - so served with plain yogurt. Instant favorite with the whole family! Will make it again many times and will teach hubby and kids how to make it, too!
- Elena Walls
- DC
- 11/26/2022
Love! Sadly not sure my kids think so.
- Sport
- Brooklyn ny
- 10/18/2022
I was curious about this recipe but my husband does not eat chickpeas so I halved the recipe and WOW - you must try this! I had it as a side dish but probably could eat this as my main. Did not have cumin seeds so used cumin spice and substituted Mexican chile powder instead of Kashmiri (which where I live in Pennsylvania I would never find in a supermarket). Used fresh chile pepper that my supermarket sold (don't know if they were Fresno) - all the rest of ingredients I had on hand - the result was outstanding. A little spicy but so tasty. By the way, although I bought all ingredients for the yogurt sauce I didn't make it and I didn't miss it. Will make the whole recipe the next time though.
- Diane S.
- Lackawaxen, Pennsylvania
- 10/3/2022
So easy, so delicious, definitely added to the dinner rotation. Made this exactly to the recipe and love a tasty vegetarian option. Seems infinitely riffable as far as adding a little something extra (considered adding some carrots I had in the fridge and leaving out the sugar, for example. Also think it would be great to add lamb shanks or duck legs and I'm excited to try some variations on an already great recipe!)
- MP
- California
- 9/23/2022
Absolutely delicious! I had all the ingredients at home except for the Fresno chilies which I omitted but added a little more chili flakes and the red chili powder so I subbed the paprika as recommended. I’m not sure I’d change a thing except to add the chilies next time.
- Anonymous
- Westport CT
- 9/20/2022
Amazing flavor! Love this recipe.
- Anonymous
- 9/1/2022
Deliciious! Spicy! Maybe one less pepper next time. I used 1/3 cup olive oil and a 28 oz. can of fire roasted tomotoes. Will try pairing with quinoa next time.
- MaryMo
- Bay Village, oH
- 8/25/2022
Love love love this recipe, so darn good! If you want to go lighter on the oil, I have substituted a can of fire roasted tomatoes and halved the oil, turned out fantastic.
- Kelly Hamlett
- Cayman Islands
- 7/24/2022
LOVE this recipe. It is simple, with a short and inexpensive ingredient list. A lot of olive oil but a good treat every once in a while. Delicious.
- Laura
- Portland
- 7/15/2022
Tasty and easy to make, a great side to prep ahead of time and pair with other items to round out a meal.
- Anonymous
- DC
- 4/3/2022
SOOO GOOD. Our favorite recipe at the moment. Maybe it serves 8 with rice but we have it with pita and it’s 5 servings at best.
- Anonymous
- 4/15/2024
Delicious! My husband and 2 year old loved it. However, I did make some modifications; I seared bone in thighs at first then nestled them into the chickpeas halfway through cooking time, reduced the oil to 2/3 cup, added cinnamon, used jalapeños instead of Fresno chiles, and served it with coconut rice instead of yogurt. I think this recipe would be wonderful as is but it leaves ample room to experiment!
- Kristin
- Santa Fe, NM
- 3/24/2024