Chickpea Curry (sort-of)

An unashamedly anglicised curry-esque meal. Tasty.

Recipe
1 full-size can of chickpeas
Curry paste - I like a brand of green Thai curry called 'Maesri'
Spinach, cabbage, cavallo nero, chard, spring greens, pak choi (any combo)
Creamed coconut (comes in a box, available in most big supermarkets)
Sunflower or vegetable oil

To serve: rice, naan bread, chappati, noodles

Optional: fresh parsley or coriander, plain yoghurt

Method
Boil the kettle, and slice some of the creamed coconut from the block. I think these come in pretty standardised size rectangles and I use approx a quarter for 2 adults. Chop quite finely and mix with about half a pint of boiling water - mix well to remove any lumps. If you like well-seasoned food, you could also add a vegetable or chicken stock jelly cube to this. The liquid will form the base for your curry.

Start cooking the rice if using.

Heat a little oil in a frying pan and add curry paste. I use around a desert spoon of the above, although it is admittedly 'Thai-hot' so I would probably suggest going with the instructions on the jar, or starting with a teaspoon full - particularly if you are cooking this with kids in mind.

Stir once or twice and when it has heated through and is sizzling, add the hot coconut stock. Allow to simmer down over 10 - 15 minutes or so and once it starts to show signs of thickening, chuck in the vegetables. Once these are cooked and it is thick enough to look tasty (soup-like) add the chick-peas and noodles if you are using (dried or fresh both work).

If you are using naan bread, chappatis or similar, heat these now and then serve the curry in deeps bowls. You can also chop a little corriandor or parsley for the top and/or plonk on some plain yoghurt if you like.

If you prefer a thicker curry, just simmer for longer, cooking the noodles separately and adding at the end.