No.81 The 100 Most Popular Recipes Ever · October 2026

Spiced Chickpea Stew with Coconut and Turmeric (#TheStew)

Made famous by Alison Roman

Photo: E4024, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

From NYT Cooking, 2018. Alison Roman is No. 19 on the Hot 100.

So many people made it that it got its own hashtag. The stew that defined the early Instagram era of home cooking.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil, plus more for serving
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 piece (2 inches / 5 cm) fresh ginger, finely chopped
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes, plus more for serving
• 2 cans (15 oz / 425 g each) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 cans (13.5 oz / 400 ml each) full-fat coconut milk
• 2 cups (480 ml) vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 bunch Swiss chard, kale or collard greens, stems removed, torn into bite-size pieces
• 1 cup fresh mint leaves
• Plain yogurt, for serving
• Toasted pita, lavash or other flatbread, for serving

Steps

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion and ginger, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent and starting to brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Add the turmeric and pepper flakes and stir 1 minute, until the spices bloom.
3. Add the chickpeas and season again. Cook, stirring often, so they fry in the spiced oil, 8 to 10 minutes. Some will get crisp and break down; that's what you want. Lift out about 1 cup for topping.
4. With a spoon, mash some of the chickpeas in the pot to thicken the stew. Add the coconut milk and stock and season with salt and pepper.
5. Bring to a simmer, scraping the bottom. Simmer, stirring now and then, until thickened and reduced by about a quarter, 30 to 35 minutes. Taste and add salt.
6. Add the greens and stir until they wilt and soften, 3 to 7 minutes depending on the green.
7. Ladle into bowls and top with the reserved chickpeas, mint, a spoonful of yogurt, more pepper flakes and a drizzle of oil. Serve with toasted flatbread.

Chef's tips

• The stew should be thick enough to scoop with bread. Simmer longer if it's thin.
• It keeps 5 days in the fridge and gets better on day two.

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