Chickpeas in Coconut Milk

One of the first recipes I tried with this book, I'd wanted to find something Indian-ish yet simple that would stretch out to serve for a group of friends. Tanzania, the island of Zanzabar in particular, with its plenitude of coconuts, provided the answer. One of the things that keeps me coming back to this recipe is that, though I hope to eventually be a full-fledged proponent of fresh-is-best, there is something a bit amazing about opening five or so cans of food, stewing it with spices, throwing a bit of rice in the rice cooker, and then listening to friends rave. Also, when I decide that I need to look for a recipe by ingredient as opposed to country-by-origin, I find my eyes often roaming to the chickpeas. Along with coconut milk for my Thai food fetish, they're one of the inexpensive things I stock up on when making a trip to the international food grocery.