Halal Street Cart Chickpeas with Turmeric Rice, Tahini Yogurt Sauce, and Harissa Oil

If you’ve ever had food from a halal street cart before, then you know how addictively delicious it can be. These halal street cart chickpeas are a vegetarian take on those flavors, served with turmeric rice, tahini yogurt “white” sauce and a harissa oil drizzle.

[Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Pompeian. As always, my thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep me inspired in the kitchen.]

My Monday mornings smell like spiced meat on a makeshift griddle.

It’s a strange scent to take on at 6AM when you haven’t eaten animal protein in a decade, but it’s also warm and heady with cumin, coriander, and cardamom (so unlike all the other typical NYC morning smells, which are all entirely inappropriate for a food blog), and I’m almost never mad about it.  It’s the smell of street carts getting ready for the day on my walk to work and it is downright delightful.

If you’ve never smelled it before, THEN YOU MUST.

Maybe that means joining me for an early morning jaunt around my neighborhood, but, (and probably more cost effective), it can also mean making these chickpeas for dinner. Quick, easy, and definitely less stressful than a cross-country flight just to stand on a random NYC street corner and sniff the air.

Now, now.

This recipe is almost certainly going to seem daunting, especially on a weeknight. I mean, there are four components and a gazillion ingredients. What am I even thinking?!

But hear me out!!

It took me under 30 minutes to make this. I timed myself from the second I popped the sweet potatoes in the oven to when we actually sat down to eat, so that is not even an exaggeration. ANNNDDD most of the ingredients are spices, all of which you probably already have on hand if you cook with any regularity.

So, how does this come together? Well, the chickpeas are basically popped out from a can and then sauteed with all of the warm, rich, amazing Middle Eastern spices discussed above. The turmeric rice is cooked in the Instant Pot, which frees up your hands and mind to move onto other things (unless you don’t have an Instant Pot, in which case it can absolutely be cooked on the stovetop) like the CONDIMENTS, which are basically the most important part of the entire meal.

(Yes, I talked a big game about the spices and the smells, but the sauces are totally where it’s at.)

There’s the “white sauce”, which is basically tahini yogurt sauce and I would bathe in it if I could. Drizzle it over everything. You won’t be sorry.

And THEN!! The harissa oil. My love.

It’s spicy, but also rich with the flavor of Pompeian Robust Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which has a really full-body flavor that’s fruity and bitter, and AHHHH I just want to drink it. So I do. But I also put it on eggs, veggie burgers, salads, bowls, and basically every meal I’ve eaten since I’ve first made it two weeks ago. My life will never be without it again, and probably neither should yours.

Bold Middle Eastern flavors are becoming more and more mainstream these days as the world discovers how fabulous they are, so make sure you stay #TrendingInTheKitchen by incorporating these spice blends into your everyday meals!

Halal Street Cart Chickpeas with Turmeric Rice, Tahini Yogurt Sauce, and Harissa Oil

 

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If you've ever had food from a halal street cart before, then you know how addictively delicious it can be. These halal street cart chickpeas are a vegetarian take on those flavors, served with turmeric rice, tahini yogurt "white" sauce and a harissa oil drizzle.

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

For the chickpeas

• 1 tbsp Pompeian Robust Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 14-oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 shallots, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
• salt, to taste
• 1¼ tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• ¾ tsp curry powder
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp paprika
• ¼ tsp black pepper

For the turmeric rice

• 1 tbsp Pompeian Robust Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3 cups basmati rice
• 1 small onion, minced
• 2 slices fresh ginger
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ¼ tsp ground cardamom
• 3⅔ cup water

For the tahini yogurt sauce

• 1½ cups plain yogurt
• 2 tbsp tahini
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• salt and black pepper, to taste

For the harissa oil

• 2 tbsp harissa
• ¼ cup Pompeian Robust Extra Virgin Olive Oil

For the bowls

• 1 tbs Pompeian Robust Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1½ lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch thick fries
• salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 400F.
2. Toss the olive oil and sweet potato sticks together in a medium bowl. Spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer and season with salt and black pepper. Roast for 25-30 minutes, or until tender
3. Meanwhile, prepare the rice. You can do this using an Instant Pot (what I used), a rice cooker, or a pot on the stove. If using an Instant Pot, turn to saute mode. Add the olive oil to the pot. Once shimmering, add the onions, ginger, salt, and black pepper. Cook until the onions have softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add in the turmeric, cardamom, and rice. Cook until fragrant. Stir in the water and switch the Instant Pot to "rice" mode. Cover and make sure the pressure seal is engaged. Allow to pressure cook. Once done, turn off the Instant Pot and allow it to depressurize on its own for 10 minutes, then release the pressure manually. Uncover and fluff rice with a fork. If using a rice cooker, saute the onion mixture on the stove, then transfer everything to the rice cooker and proceed as you normally would. If cooking everything on the stovetop, then saute as instructed and steam the rice in water for 15-20 minutes or until the rice is tender.
4. While the rice is cooking, prepare the chickpeas. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the shallots, garlic, and ginger. Saute until tender, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas, cumin, coriander, curry powder, cinnamon, paprika, black pepper, and salt. Cook until spices are fragrant and chickpeas are fully coated in them, about 5 minutes.
5. For the tahini yogurt sauce, whisk together the yogurt, tahini, and garlic in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
6. For the harissa oil, combine the harissa and olive oil in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes, or until harissa is sizzling and the oil starts to turn a deep red. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
7. Divide the rice among 4-6 serving bowls. Top with the sweet potatoes and chickpeas. Drizzle with the tahini yogurt sauce and harissa oil, serving more at the table to garnish.

Notes

An Eats Well With Others Original

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