While I really enjoy finding new recipes, I have even more fun creating my own! Below is my recipe for coconut curry fried rice with chickpeas, a recipe I recently came up with. I plan on experimenting more with this recipe in the future by including chicken, pork, or cashews. Check out my past post about cooking with coconut rice, a favorite of mine!

Ingredients

Coconut Rice:

• 2 cups rice (I used Basmati, but you can use other types of rice)
• 1 can coconut milk
• 2 TB of sugar
• 1 TB of oil
• pinch of salt

Stir Fry (these are approximate measures):

• 3 TB oil
• 1 onions, sliced
• 5 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 – 3 jalapeno peppers, sliced (use one for mildly spicy, and up to three for boldly spicy)
• 1 bell pepper (orange, yellow, or red), sliced
• cooked chickpeas*
• fresh basil, sliced
• yellow curry powder
• salt
• red pepper flakes
• ginger powder
• paprika powder
• 1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut (optional, but it gives the rice an extra, coconuty sweet flavor)

Directions:

1. Cook rice according to package directions, but substitute 2 cups of the required water with the coconut milk. Also add the sugar, salt, and oil to the water when cooking the rice. Be careful not to overcook rice (it is better to have it undercooked, since it will cook for a few additional minutes later on).
2. Add oil to a large pot, and stir fry the sliced onions, crushed garlic, jalapeno pepper, and coconut flakes with seasonings (curry powder, salt, red pepper flakes, ginger powder, and paprika powder).
   3. Continue to stir fry 3-4 minutes, then add in the sliced bell pepper, and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.
3. Slowly add in the rice and chickpeas, mixing thoroughly to distribute the spices through the rice.
4. Add in the fresh basiland distribute through the rice, then turn off the heat. Leave the pot covered for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to settle.

*Cooked chickpeas – you can use the canned or dried peas (I prefer using the dried peas). If using the dried peas, soak the peas overnight in a large pot of water. The next day, cook the peas with salt, diced onions, and a bouillon cube.