Heat the Oil: Heat the coconut oil in a frying pan until hot.
Cook the Onion: Add the diced onion to the pan and cook for around 10 minutes, stirring as needed, until the onion is soft and slightly caramelised.
Bloom the Curry Powder: Add the curry powder to the softened onion and fry for about 1 minute, until fragrant.
Mash the Chickpeas: Place the drained chickpeas in a bowl and mash them using a fork or potato masher until they are broken into rough pieces. A pestle and mortar can also be used. Heat the Chickpeas: Add the roughly mashed chickpeas to the frying pan and fry for a further couple of minutes, until heated through.
Set Aside the Chickpeas: Transfer the cooked chickpea mixture to a bowl and set aside while preparing the creamy cashew mixture.
Blend the Cashews: Place the soaked cashew nuts in a blender or food processor, or use a hand-held stick blender, and blend until completely smooth.
Adjust the Cashew Consistency: Add small splashes of water while blending until the cashew mixture reaches a fairly runny consistency without becoming too watery.
Combine the Salad: Add the blended cashews to the bowl containing the chickpeas, then add the lemon juice, mango chutney, chopped coriander, desiccated coconut, salt, and pepper.
Mix the Filling: Stir everything together thoroughly until the ingredients are evenly combined.
Adjust the Seasoning: Taste the chickpea curry salad and adjust the seasoning as necessary with additional salt, pepper, or curry powder to suit the desired flavor.
Assemble the Sandwiches: Spoon the chickpea curry salad into pitta bread, flatbread, or sandwich bread, then add lettuce leaves and sweet red pepper matchsticks as desired.
Store the Filling: Cover any leftover chickpea curry salad and refrigerate for up to a couple of days; the filling also keeps well inside a sandwich for several hours.
