Chickpea and Peanut Stew

I can't remember where I got this recipe from - I think I made it up. Serve with rice or couscous.

Serves 3

• 1 x 425g (16oz) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• 1 medium onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 mild green chilli pepper
• about 500ml (18 fl oz) vegetable stock - from a cube is fine
• 50g (2oz) peanuts or peanut butter
• 1 x 400g (16oz) can tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander seed
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 medium courgette (zucchini) - about 200g (7oz)
• 1 sweet green bell pepper
• 100g (4oz) mushrooms
• Salt and black pepper

1. Chop the onion, garlic and chilli. Chop up the tomatoes in their can. Halve the courgette and slice into half-moons, then cut the mushrooms into chunks of roughly the same size. Deseed the pepper and cut it into 1 cm (1/2 inch) squares.

2. Drain the chickpeas and rinse well. If using peanuts rather than peanut butter, puree the peanuts in the blender with a little stock.

3. Brown the onions in vegetable stock, or in a little oil if you prefer, using a fairly large saucepan.

4. Add the garlic and chilli and stirfry for 30 seconds. Now add the peanut butter or peanut puree and all the other ingredients. Use only as much stock as you need to make the required consistency.

5. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes or as long as you want; depends on how crisp you like your vegetables.

Kake's (Vegan) Cookery Site - http://www.earth.li/~kake/cookery/
This page added some time in 1997 - comments and questions to Kake L Pugh (kake@earth.li).