Curried Sweet Potatoes with Chard and Chickpeas

By Nava · On Dec 05, 2011

A superb fusion of flavors permeates this nourishing harvest dish. Serve like a stew in shallow bowls, accompanied by warm flatbread. Recipe from Wild About Greens. Photo by Susan Voisin, FatFree Vegan Kitchen.

Serves: 4 to 6

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large sweet potatoes or 4 medium garnet yams, peeled and cut into large dice
• One 16- to 20-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• One 16-ounce can diced tomatoes (try a flavorful variety such as fire-roasted)
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons good-quality curry powder, or more, to taste
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger, more or less to taste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin, or more, to taste
• 8 to 12 ounces chard, any variety, or a combination of chard and beet greens
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro or parsley, or more or less to taste
• 1/4 cup raisins, optional (but highly recommended)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large skillet or a stir-fry pan. Add the garlic and sauté over low heat until golden.

Add the sweet potato dice and  cup and a half or so of water; bring to a simmer and cook until just tender, adding just enough additional water if needed, as they cook, to keep the mixture moist.

Stir in the chickpeas, tomatoes, scallions, curry powder, ginger, and cumin and bring the mixture to a simmer again; cook over low heat for 10 minutes or so, until the sweet potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile, strip or cut the chard leaves (and beet greens, if using) away from the stems. Slice the stems thinly, and cut the leaves into strips.

Add the chard to the skillet, in batches if necessary, and cover. Cook briefly, just until the chard wilts, then stir in. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes, or until the chard is tender but not overdone. Stir in the cilantro and optional raisins. Season with salt and pepper, then serve.

Variations 

This is also good with kale, collard greens, spinach, and mustard greens. Stemmed, coarsely chopped spinach or whole baby spinach leaves can be added as you would the chard in the directions above, as can chopped mustard greens. If you’d like to try kale or collard greens in this dish, I’d suggest steaming first before adding to the dish when you would the other greens.

You can also vary the kind of beans used. Try black beans, red beans, or pinto beans.

• Sample more recipes for global stews.
• Enjoy more of VegKitchen’s sweet potato recipes.
• Find lots more recipes on VegKitchen for kale, collards, and other hardy greens.

Categories : Global Stews, Hardy Greens, Stews & Chilis, Sweet Potatoes

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15 comments on “Curried Sweet Potatoes with Chard and Chickpeas”

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2. Jacqueline on December 20, 2011 at 12:17 pm said:

   Very tasty!
3. Nicole on December 21, 2011 at 12:11 am said:

   Wow! This looks fabulous!
4. Sheilah on December 22, 2011 at 4:53 pm said:

   Just tried this last night, and it’s wonderful! The bitter/sweet/salty flavors are perfectly balanced. I have to admit I don’t keep curry powder because I like to tailor the spices to each dish, so I used fennel and coriander seeds and turmeric instead. The tomatoes were Ro-Tel with green chilis, for some heat. It’s even better today as leftovers for lunch! Thanks for sharing.
5. Nava on December 22, 2011 at 9:50 pm said:

   Thanks, everyone! And Sheilah, I always enjoy hearing how readers make recipes their very own. Your tweaks sound delicious.
6. Diane on January 9, 2012 at 10:59 pm said:

   Absolutely fabulous!! The sweetness of the sweet potatoes and chard go so well together. This is my favorite sweet potato recipe yet!!
7. Nava on January 10, 2012 at 5:57 pm said:

   So glad you enjoyed it, Diane! Greens are the best …
8. Jessica M. on February 29, 2012 at 8:06 am said:

   Loved this! I used spinach instead of chard. I can’t wait to try it with collard greens! My husband (a dedicated carnivore) was extremely happy – as were 2 of my 3 kids!!!
9. Terri Cole on March 25, 2012 at 2:42 pm said:

   I made this 2 weeks ago for DH and myself, then froze the leftovers. It was just as good thawed and warmed for dinner the second time around, with enough left over for 2 lunches!
   I omitted the cilantro, and used beet greens, served over spiced brown basmati rice. Just delicious!
10. BONNIE KEYSER on October 6, 2012 at 7:28 pm said:

    This was outstanding! I made it strictly by the recipe with chard and did not feel the need to accompany it was bread. Yum!
11. Nava on October 8, 2012 at 4:24 pm said:

    Thanks for all your comments, everyone! This dish is quite flexible; swap out other greens, beans, even try subbing diced and cooked butternut squash for the sweet potato.
12. Hillary on November 16, 2012 at 7:43 pm said:

    Fantastic! I used halved grape tomatoes in place of canned (thrown in for the last 5 minutes), and added about a 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes for a little extra heat. Also I sauteed the chick peas first for ~7 mins until they were crispy, set them aside and threw them on top at the end. I have a very specific texture that I like for chickpeas.
13. Gabriel on January 8, 2013 at 9:56 pm said:

    This recipe was absolutely delicious!!!….I add some coconut water at the end along with the Kale -didn’t use Chard-ant the result was fantastic!! The combination of flavors is just delicious! Highly recommended as a warm winter dinner
14. Brooke on January 26, 2013 at 5:36 pm said:

    Wow! I made this last night and it was fantastic. I never would have thought to add raisins–what a good idea! I added a bit of cayenne pepper to give it some spiciness.
15. Nava on January 26, 2013 at 6:02 pm said:

    Glad you enjoyed it! It’s a standard on my rotation at this time of year as well.