Spicy eggplant & chickpea stew with tahini yogurt and easy homemade flatbreads – Jump to Recipe
It sometimes feels disingenuous to sit here and photograph food and write flippantly about whatever I’ve been consuming when it seems a bit like the world is on fire. When a pandemic unlike nothing we’ve lived through is raging across the world; when it seems like the US democracy may well fall apart as we watch from afar; when climate change, racism, sexism, health and socioeconomic inequality and a million other issues intertwine and continue unabated. But then perhaps it’s always been like this – there have always, always been bigger issues that you would go mad trying (and failing) to tackle. 2020 isn’t unique, I guess I’m saying. I have no answers., except that I keep sitting here and cooking food for people and the enjoyment from that makes everything better for a while. I’ve also been watching Watchmen (would highly, highly recommend, even if you’re not a comic fan – which I historically definitely am not) and reading She Said (the story of the courage and persistence of the New York Times journalists who broke the Harvey Weinstein story). They’re both reminders of the entrenched systemic factors at play which can be so, so impossibly hard to fight against – but people still keep trying.
This spicy eggplant and chickpea stew with tahini yogurt is suited to both the first chilly days of spring here in Melbourne and the turning autumn tide in the northern hemisphere. Start with caramelising sliced red onion over low, slow heat while you roast the eggplant in the oven under tender. Spices go in – chilli, garlic, cumin, coriander, allspice; a can of sweet cherry tomatoes and handfuls of chopped coriander and dill; chickpeas. Simmer for a while as you clean up after yourself. Throw in the eggplant when it’s done. Bake some homemade flatbread if you’re feeling fancy (it’s easier than it sounds). Serve it up in steaming bowls with dollops of tart, lemon-laced tahini yogurt. Mop up with bread.
Roasting eggplant is my favourite way of cooking it – for everything from salads (like this Ottolenghi mango eggplant soba noodle favourite) to pasta sauces (like this ricotta gnocchi). Frying in oil is delicious but the sheer quantity of oil needed isn’t an every night kind of deal for me. Putting raw eggplant straight into the sauce to cook is another common technique but I find it’s often bland, and can take a loooong time to cook through. Roasting on the other hand just requires a quick brush of oil on each side (use a pastry brush so it doesn’t soak straight through) and 20-30 minutes in the oven for tender, caramelised chunks of eggplant. Tell me a better way.
This quantity serves 2 very hungry people or 3 slightly less hungry people, and you could very easily double it to serve 4-6. I sometimes add a soft boiled egg on top. You can find the flatbread recipe here.
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium eggplant
- 1 red onion sliced
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 red chilli finely chopped (seeds removed, depending how hot your chilli is)
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp allspice
- 400 g can cherry tomatoes (or regular)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ~1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander including the stalks
- ~1/3 cup chopped fresh dill plus extra to top
- 1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- salt and pepper to season
- 1 cup water
- 3/4 cup greek yogurt
- 1-2 tablespoons tahini
- zest of 1/2 lemon
- flatbreads – see recipe link in instructions
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If making the flatbreads, stir together the dough now and set aside (recipe here).
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Preheat the oven to 220°C. Slice the eggplant into 1.5cm rounds and lay out on a baking paper lined tray. Brush each side with olive oil using a pastry brush or similar and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes or until golden, then turn and roast for a further 5-10 min until soft throughout.
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Meanwhile, in a large pot over low heat cook the sliced red onion with a splash of olive oil until very soft, about 10 minutes. I find putting a lid on the pot over low heat helps the onion to soften and caramelise without burning. Add the garlic and red chilli and cook on low for a further 5 minutes.
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Add the spices and stir to combine. Add the chickpeas and stir to fully coat in the onion spice mix.
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Add the tomatoes, a cup of water (fill 3/4 of the tomato can), herbs, and salt and pepper to season. Simmer for 10-15 minutes to thicken.
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Whenever the eggplant is done, quarter and stir into the stew and continue to cook. Add extra water if you feel it’s getting dry.
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Meanwhile, stir together the tahini yogurt.
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Cook your flatbreads if making.
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Serve up the stew with flatbreads, tahini yogurt and poached eggs if you like
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