Curried Chickpea Salad
Chickpeas and curry are a match made in heaven. This tastes like a curried chicken salad recipe, but it's entirely plant-based, and we've used the reserved liquid from the chickpea cans (aquafaba) to make homemade mayonnaise. It may seem daunting to make your mayonnaise, but it's cheaper than store-bought, as easy as using an immersion blender, and most importantly, you can choose the quality of the oil in it. Most mayonnaise brands use inflammatory oils such as canola, safflower, or sunflower, but you get to choose here. Chickpeas are high in protein and super affordable, so add this RECIPE to your summer menu.
ServES: EIGHT PEOPLE
INGREDIENTS
2 15-ounce BPA-free can chickpeas, drained (reserve the liquid) and rinsed
3 stalks celery, finely diced
3 scallions, finely sliced
¼ red onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1-2 tablespoons curry powder to taste
1 tablespoon apricot jam
½-1 teapoon salt (to taste)
handful golden raisins
handful slivered almonds
squeeze of lemon
lettuce cups
Aquafaba Mayonnaise*
¼ cup aquafaba
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¾ cup avocado oil
PREPARATION
1 Place the drained and rinsed chickpeas in a large bowl.
2 Gently mash the chickpeas with a potato masher or with the back of a fork. Remove any excess chickpea skins that come to the top.
3 Add the onions and squeeze some lemon juice over them to mute the rawness.
4 Add celery, scallions, cilantro, a ¼ cup of aquafaba mayonnaise, curry powder, apricot jam, and salt then give it a good toss. Taste and adjust the seasoning and add more mayonnaise if desired.
5 Add the golden raisins and slivered almonds and toss one more time then place the chickpea salad in lettuce cups or serve with bread.
To make the Aquafaba Mayonnaise:
Place the aquafaba and a squeeze of lemon juice in an immersion blender container. Slowly drizzle in avocado oil while starting the immersion blender. If you want the mayonnaise to be thicker, add more oil.
NOTES
I give a range of quantities for both the salt and curry powder because some curry powders come salted and can also be overbearingly hot.
To use the aquafaba mayonnaise for other dishes, add in 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard and ¼ teaspoon salt. I did not add to the mayonnaise here because it’s with the chickpeas and there is also flavoring from the curry powder.