Curried Chickpea Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3 tablespoons minced ginger
2 jalapeno peppers, one with seeds (if you like the heat)
1 sweet red pepper, stem and core removed
6 ripe roma tomatoes, core removed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cooking onion, finely diced
10 garlic cloves, minced
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
6 cups vegetable stock
3 cups canned chick-peas, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup mango chutney (I use the mild)
1 (14 ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk, stirred to mix pulp evenly
salt and pepper
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped (I'm not fond of the taste of fresh cilantro, so I don't use this step)

Preparation

Place ginger, jalapenos, red pepper and tomatoes in a food processor and pulse to a rough puree. Set aside.
Heat oil in a stockpot, add onion and saute until soft and golden. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add bay leaves and spices to the onion mixture and continue cooking for 1 minute. Deglaze the pot with 1 cup of vegetable stock, then add the remaining stock, vegetable puree, chickpeas and chutney. Simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove pot from heat, discard the bay leaves and carefully mash the chickpeas until the mixture is thickened. Stir in the coconut milk, and gently reheat being careful not to boil the soup. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with the fresh chopped cilantro if desired.
I use a hand blender after mashing the chickpeas as we prefer a smoother texture.