This sweet potato and chickpea stew combines sweet potatoes, yukon gold potatoes, and chickpeas in a classic chile colorado sauce. The combination of chile ancho, chile guajillo, oregano, a pinch of cumin, and garlic add a smoky and savory flavor to the stew. This post is also available in Español.
This dish is inspired by a very northern dish called guisado de puerco in chile colorado. I have of course left out the pork and used a combination of potatoes and chickpeas. It is best served with rice and warm tortillas.
I know working with dried chiles can be intimidating at first, but it is quite easy. All you have to do is remove the stems and take out the seeds. They can be lightly toasted to bring out the smoky flavor of the chiles, but it is not necessary to do so.
To use them you have to first reconstitute them in hot water. Simply drop the deseeded chiles in nearly boiling water and let them sit for about 10 minutes or until they are soft and pliable. They can be found in your local Hispanic market or now most grocery stores carry them in their Hispanic sections.
I know a lot of new vegans will look at this and think that potatoes and chickpeas are not a substitute for pork, and you know what, they're right. There are some recipes where I try to mimic the texture and flavor of meat, but there are others that I use vegetables to replace the animal protein.
My goal here is to recreate the flavors, spices, and aromas of traditional Mexican dishes and bring back all of those memories from my childhood and my family's cooking. I encourage you to try a lot of different options to substitute meat in your dishes. With time you'll find what works best for you!
The Recipe: Sweet Potato and Chickpea Stew in Chile Colorado
Instead of sweet potatoes you could use russet, yukon gold or any other type of potato. The chickpeas could be substituted with any other bean. Cauliflower or tofu would also be a great addition to this dish.
Sweet Potato and Chickpea Stew in Chile Colorado
Ingredients
- 4 Ancho chiles, dried, deseeded
- 4 Guajillo chiles, dried, deseeded
- 1 Tomato, medium
- 5 cloves Garlic
- 1 tsp. Oregano, dried
- 1 Bay leaf, dried
- 1/2 tsp. Cumin, ground
- 1 cup Onion, white, minced
- 1 ½ cups (1 large) Diced Sweet Potato
- 1 cup (1 medium) Diced Yukon gold potato
- 1 can (14.5 oz) Chickpeas, drained
- 2 Thyme sprigs
- 1 cup Vegetable stock
Instructions
- Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add chiles, tomato and bay leaf and turn heat down to a reallt slow simmer. Let simmer for 8 minutes.
- While the chiles are simmering, heat a large pot to medium heat and add ¼ cup of water. Add onion and sweat until tender and translucent, about 4 minutes.
- Add potatoes and sweet potatoes and 1 cup of vegetable stock. Cover and let simmer for about 6 min or until potatoes are beginning to become tender, but are not fully cooked.
- Strain the chiles, but reserve one cup of the chile soaking liquid. Place the drained chiles, garlic, tomato, oregano, cumin, and 1 cup of the chile soaking liquid in the blender and blend until smooth. Strain the sauce.
- Add sauce, chickpeas, and sprigs of thyme to the pot. Let simmer slowly for 8-10 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are cooked through. If the sauce is too thick, add more vegetable stock accordingly.
- Season with salt and pepper. Remove thyme sprigs before serving.
- Serve with rice and warm corn tortillas.
Notes
Nutrition
Although dorastable.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates.
It says "Serve with rice, beans, and warm corn tortillas." Do you mean beans other than the garbanzo/chickpeas? Also: Looks fantastic!
HI, I love beans. I would totally eat this with rice and beans but I see your point!
I'm trying to eat more vegan, and I just discovered your blog! I'm a mil spouse stationed in Okinawa and Mexican ingredients are hard to come by, but I'm excited to try this one!
I hope you like it!
I cannot wait to try this. I live in Italy where Mexican food and ingredients are rare to come by. I stocked up on every dried chili I found during my recent holiday in Caifornia to bring back with me just so I could make your recipes on your blog!!
You live in Italy!! I can only imagine how hard it is to get dry chiles there!
I feel like I may have made this in the past verbatim and it was my rico! But this time I am using your chili and onions sauce, but this time I am using Gardien Beefless tips to try to emulate burritos from my childhood. Thank you Dora, for being Mexican and vegan. Though I am white, I think of Mexican food as my soul food.
This sounds delicious!
Sol glad you liked it!
I used a combination of mulato, chipotle, pasilla and ancho ? Loooveed it. I served it with steamed barley. Pleaseee give us more recipes. I made so many of yours and love them
I'll have to try your chile combination!!