Instant Pot Thai Red Curry Chickpeas

Name: Instant Pot Thai Red Curry with Chickpeas
Prep time: 3 min
Cook time: 17 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon oil; 2 shallots (diced); 2 tablespoons red Thai curry paste (I prefer Thai Kitchen); 2 cans coconut milk (15 oz); 2 cans chickpeas (15 oz); 2 teaspoons fish sauce; 2 teaspoons brown sugar; 1 teaspoon lime/lemon juice; 1 cup frozen peas (or canned peas); couscous or rice (for serving, optional); green onion or cilantro (for serving, optional)

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Instant Pot Thai Red Curry with Chickpeas | Easy creamy curry dish made in your pressure cooker with Thai Red Curry paste, chickpeas, and coconut milk. 9 simple ingredients that are mostly pantry items plus the shallot and frozen (or canned) peas. I like couscous or brown jasmine rice with this warm and comforting curry.

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I've made this Thai curry so many times over the last month since I created it. Perhaps I shouldn't say how many times. I'll just say that I no longer need to look at the recipe. And I like it with both couscous and brown jasmine rice.

The last time I made it my daughter made the curry part and I made some chapatis studded with shallot and cumin seeds to go with it. (Edit: I've made it again, this time with homemade naan bread and it was fantastic - definitely do this!) We had carrots on the side and it was amazing and creamy and comforting and lovely and everyone cleared their plates. A victory all around in a time when we need a little winning!

Food has the power to nourish our bodies but also to inspire creativity, help us learn, to prompt being together, to spark connection. We can't leave our house right now but we're gathering around the dining table for dinner - no phones, no tv, no iPads. Just a little music in the background and our conversation. Sappy? I don't care. Connection of some sort with people is what will get us through this, and we can do this even if we're social distancing. Stop the spread, right?

But this post is about curry so I'll get on with it, shall I?

The simple pantry ingredients for a Thai red curry:

Thai red curry paste ( I like this one by Thai Kitchen - it's my favorite!)
canned coconut milk
canned chickpeas
brown sugar
fish sauce (try switching to soy sauce or a bit of salt instead for a vegetarian/vegan version)
lemon or lime juice (the little refrigerated containers of juice are fine)
peas, either frozen or canned
oil and shallots (or yellow or red onion)
green onions or cilantro, to serve - optional
a cooked grain, to serve - optional

If you want another great chickpea curry dish, try this Instant Pot Chickpea Curry which is more of an Indian inspired dish.

To serve, try my Jasmine Coconut Rice.

How to Make Thai Red Curry with Chickpeas

To make this curry dish we're using a pressure cooker. (For stovetop tips, check the F.A.Q. below) Chop the shallot and get all the other ingredients ready to go.

Turn the pressure cooker to saute. Add the oil and the shallots and cook them for about 3 minutes, until they start to soften and brown. If you want this a bit spicy then add in a few chopped bird's eye chilis here. Or you could use some red pepper flakes or sambal oelek.

Add the Thai red curry paste and cook it for a minute or so. Next, add a large spoon or two of the cream at the top of the coconut milk can and then cook that for a minute or so also. We're just cooking the curry paste a little bit to bring out the flavors more.

Now add the rest of the coconut milk, the chickpeas, fish sauce, and brown sugar. Add the lid and set to pressure cook on high for 12 minutes.

In the meantime, thaw the peas and make couscous or rice or whatever you want to serve the curry with.

Once the curry is done do a quick pressure release, set the pressure cooker to saute and add the peas and lemon or lime juice. Cook for about 3 minutes or until the peas are hot. Serve with a grain or cauliflower rice or whatever you like. This would be wonderful with just a piece of naan bread (it is!) or one of these Sweet Potato Pitas.

Garnish with cilantro or green onions if you like.

Questions About The Cooking Method

I don't have a pressure cooker, can I make this recipe on the stove-top?

While I haven't tested this exact recipe, I did test my Instant Pot Chickpea Curry on the stovetop as well and found it worked just as well. For this one, I would use a large dutch oven and follow the instructions up until the pressure cooking. At this point, simmer the curry in the dutch oven for 20-30 minutes and then add the peas for a few minutes and then finish with the lemon or lime juice.