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Thai Coconut Vegetable Curry with Chickpeas

Thai Coconut Vegetable Curry with Chickpeas reads umami 4.9, salinity 4.4 and sourness 4.4 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Thai main, about 28 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 5.6 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 4.9 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 5.7 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 2.3 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 5.1 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 5.0 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 4.9 · Salinity 4.4 · Sourness 4.4 · Citrus 4.4 · Allium 4.3 · Sweetness 4.3 · Richness 4.2 · Warm Spice 3.0 · Nutty 2.8 · Herbaceous 2.6 · Earthy 2.2 · Funk & Ferment 2.1 · Fruity 2.0 · Heat 1.8 · Floral 1.7 · Bitterness 1.1

What's in it (16)

• vegetable oil — 27 g
• yellow onion — 110 g
• garlic — 9 g
• ginger — 15 g
• yellow curry — 44 g
• red bell pepper — 100 g
• cauliflower florets — 710 g
• chickpeas — 425 g
• coconut milk — 383 g
• vegetable broth — 177 g
• brown sugar — 13 g
• soy sauce — 15 g
• salt — 5 g
• baby spinach — 710 g
• lime juice — 15 g
• cilantro leaves — 15 g

Time & effort: about 28 min (26 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 120.1 kcal, 5.2 g protein, 5.4 g fat, 13.7 g carbs

Dietary: Vegetarian · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (8 steps)

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, 4-5 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and ginger; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 30-45 seconds.
3. Add the red curry paste and cook, stirring, until it darkens slightly and smells toasty, 1-2 minutes — this blooms the paste so the curry doesn't taste raw.
4. Add the bell pepper and cauliflower; stir to coat everything in the paste, about 1 minute.
5. Stir in the chickpeas, coconut milk, broth, brown sugar, soy sauce, and salt. Bring to a steady simmer, 2-3 minutes.
6. Partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is tender but still holds its shape, 12-15 minutes.
7. Stir in the spinach and cook just until wilted, 1-2 minutes.
8. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice. Taste and add more salt if needed, then ladle into bowls and top with the cilantro.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Vegetable Massaman Curry with Tofu — Thai
• Coconut Lentil and Sweet Potato Curry — Indian
• Coconut Lentil Dal with Rice — Indian
• Chickpea Coconut Curry with Kale — Indian
• Orange Chicken — Chinese-American

Keep reading: what umami, salinity, sourness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.