Spiced Chickpea Quinoa Bowl

Nutrition · per serving

Steps

1. 1

   Rinse the quinoa under cold water until the water runs mostly clear. Put it in a small saucepan with the water and salt, bring to a boil, then cover, lower the heat, and simmer gently for 15 minutes until the grains are tender and the liquid is absorbed.

   140 g quinoa, rinsed280 ml water2 g fine sea salt
2. 2

   Turn off the heat and let the quinoa stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Then fluff it with a fork so the grains stay separate rather than clumping.

3. 3

   While the quinoa cooks, pat the chickpeas very dry with a clean towel for better browning. In a bowl, toss them with olive oil, smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, chili flakes, salt, and black pepper until evenly coated.

   240 g cooked chickpeas, drained20 ml olive oil4 g smoked paprika3 g ground cumin2 g ground coriander1 g chili flakes3 g fine sea salt1 g black pepper
4. 4

   Heat a wide frying pan over medium-high heat and cook the chickpeas for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly crisped in spots and fragrant. If the spices start catching, reduce the heat slightly.

   240 g cooked chickpeas, drained
5. 5

   Make the dressing by whisking together the tahini, lemon juice, water, grated garlic, maple syrup, and salt until smooth and pourable. If it tightens up at first, keep whisking; tahini loosens again as the liquid incorporates.

   40 g tahini30 ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed30 ml water1 small clove (4 g) garlic, finely grated5 ml maple syrup2 g fine sea salt
6. 6

   Dress the vegetables lightly for freshness and shine: in a bowl, combine the spinach, carrot ribbons, cucumber, red onion, cherry tomatoes, parsley, lemon zest, and olive oil. Toss gently so the spinach stays airy and the carrot ribbons keep their shape.

   60 g baby spinach100 g carrot, peeled into ribbons100 g cucumber, thinly sliced40 g red onion, very thinly sliced120 g cherry tomatoes, halved10 g parsley, roughly chopped1 tsp lemon zest10 ml olive oil
7. 7

   Divide the quinoa between 2 bowls. Top with the spiced chickpeas and the dressed vegetables, arranging the tomatoes and carrot ribbons on top for colour. Spoon over the tahini lemon dressing and serve straight away.

   140 g quinoa, rinsed240 g cooked chickpeas, drained60 g baby spinach100 g carrot, peeled into ribbons100 g cucumber, thinly sliced40 g red onion, very thinly sliced120 g cherry tomatoes, halved10 g parsley, roughly chopped1 tsp lemon zest40 g tahini

Origin & History

Modern grain bowls like this one draw on classic Mediterranean pantry staples such as chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon, and fresh herbs. While the composed bowl format is contemporary, its flavours are rooted in the Eastern Mediterranean and Levant, where pulses, grains, and sesame-based sauces have long been everyday essentials.