Chickpeas don't appear often enough in my dishes. Call it laziness, or impatience. Whenever I want to whip up something simple and meatless, I usually head straight for lentils, quinoa, barley, any dry grain that doesn't take over an hour to prepare.

Yesterday, for once, I planned my dinner early. I set my dried chickpeas on the stove and went back to work for an hour. For once I had no hunger pangs to distract me or tell me to screw the long cooking times and just get dumplings next door instead.

The sauce part takes little time. Just soften the onions and carrots, stir in the curry paste and coconut milk, and add spinach towards the end. Finishing with Thai basil and a squeeze of lime juice, I had a basic, hearty, and portable bowl of curry to eat laptop-side.

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Weeknight Chickpea Vegetable Curry

Serves 2

1 cup dried chickpeas (if using canned, skip first step)
1 medium red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup carrots, diced
3 tablespoons yellow curry paste
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 handful spinach, rinsed
1 small handful Thai basil
Salt to taste
Lime wedgest

Rinse dried chickpeas and place in a pot of water to cover by at least 2 inches. Boil for 45 to 50 minutes to cook.

In a medium-sized saucepan, sauté onions and garlic for about 2 minutes. Add carrots, then stir in curry paste and coconut milk. Simmer for 10 minutes until sauce is reduced by half. Add spinach and Thai basil and cook for another 2 minutes. Salt to taste. Serve with lime wedges.