This is Why I Make Alison Roman’s Chickpea Stew Over And Over Again

If there’s anything I’m happy to cook over, and over, and over again, it’s Alison Roman’s Spiced Chickpea Stew with Coconut and Tumeric. 

It won’t take a lot for me to explain why it’s been a hit among thousands of readers across the internet. If you Google the following, “Alison Roman Stew,” it’s an endless list of millennial blog posts raving about the stew’s heartiness, creaminess, and fulfilling textures that are absolutely, spot-on perfect for the winter season.

I’m not going to spend time writing about how delicious it is, because that’s already a given. Instead, I want to talk about the simplicity of it and its versatility as a recipe that simply tastes better over time as you leave it on the stove. 

 

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Been talking a lot lately about why #TheStew took off in popularity, but let’s all pretend we don’t know that it’s because of the color, which is 100% owed to the magic of ground turmeric. As @sanajaverikadri from @diasporaco put it, “The Stew deserves the good stuff,” so to do it justice, they’ll be giving away 5 jars of their very special, freshly milled, direct trade (their partner farmer is paid 6x the market price) and heirloom turmeric which will undoubtedly ruin all other turmeric for you forever. 🔶To enter, follow @diasporaco to learn more about where their turmeric comes from and leave a comment with your favorite ideas for dismantling the patriarchy OR cooking with turmeric. Taking submissions through Sunday January 27th, winners will be chosen at random and contacted via DM, open only to residents of the US/ Canada/ UK/ Australia. 🔶Not sponsored, just genuine enthusiasm and appreciation for a very, very good ingredient ☀️🧡💥

A post shared by Alison Roman (@alisoneroman) on Jan 26, 2019 at 8:40am PST

First, Roman’s smart use of essential, low-cost pantry staples like chickpeas, coconut milk, onions, chicken stock, and leafy vegetables of your choice means anyone can make it anywhere. I’ve made this recipe in Manhattan, in San Francisco, and in London, too – and have never had to spend more than $15 on the entire ingredient list, and this recipe comfortably feeds up to six people (or for one person who doesn’t mind seconds, thirds, or even fourths – yep, I’m guilty). 

Second, this recipe, as I mentioned before, will taste exponentially better the longer you leave it bubbling on low heat. Quoting Roman here: “Determining perfect stew thickness is a personal journey!” It takes a minimum of 30-35 minutes for the stew to come together, but the ideal texture and thickness of the stew will only come to those who are willing to wait. 

So how many times have I made the recipe since I felt the first autumn chill this year? Too many to count. I eat it for lunch at work, I made it for my friends on movie night, and I can guarantee you I’ll probably continue to make this stew until New York City gets reasonably warm again next spring.

And did I mention kids love this too? If you mush the chickpeas and chop the leafy greens small enough enough, they won’t know what the heck is in their bowl of awesomeness.

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