This middle eastern-inspired eggplant chickpea stew is made with tomato sauce and lots of assertive spices, like cumin, coriander, and cinnamon.
Something I hadn’t realized until I looked back through some older posts is that I kind of have a thing for eggplant. Rather, it appears I’m on some sort of quest to get people to eat more of it. It must be because I get a ton of questions about eggplant and I really hope to remove some of the mystery around it.
It’s also just really delicious, super versatile, and good for you: full of fiber, antioxidants, and minerals like folate, manganese, and potassium.
So far, I’ve shown you how to roast eggplant (two ways: middle eastern-ish and Italian-inspired); how to pan-fry it with a soy, garlic, and ginger glaze; and how to turn it into Russian eggplant “caviar”. In this recipe, I want to show you how to use it in a stew.
This eggplant chickpea stew is hearty, rich, and infused with assertive spices like cumin, coriander, cinnamon, garlic, and ginger. It’s inspired by middle eastern dishes like Moroccan tagine and m’nazaleh, which [from my quick Google search] appears to be popular in Israel and Lebanon.
I like to eat this eggplant chickpea stew with flatbreads or over some fluffy grains, like brown rice, bulgur, or couscous. It’s a great dish to meal prep, as it reheats well and keeps for a while in the fridge – it also freezes nicely.
Salting Eggplant
Eggplant naturally contains a lot of moisture and some bitterness. To combat both issues, generously sprinkle sliced eggplant with coarse salt and set it aside for 15 to 30 minutes. This helps eggplant “sweat out” (literally) the excess moisture and bitter flavor. Then rinse off the salt, pat the eggplant dry, and proceed with the recipe. I salt my eggplant before adding it to pretty much any recipe.
Lastly, this stew is a great way to use up mature (on the tougher side) eggplant since it keeps its shape better while simmering.
Eggplant Chickpea Stew
(7 votes, average: 3.43 out of 5)
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- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
- Category: Stew
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This middle eastern-inspired eggplant chickpea stew is made with tomato sauce and lots of assertive spices, like cumin, coriander, and cinnamon.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds eggplant (1 large or 2–3 small), cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- About 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt or Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium red onion, cut into medium dice
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- One 14-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or 1 ¾ cups cooked chickpeas)
- One 15-ounce can tomato sauce (look for ‘no salt added’)
- ¼ cup golden raisins
- Scallions, for serving
- Brown rice or flatbreads, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Place the cubed eggplant in a colander and sprinkle liberally with coarse salt. Let stand for 15 to 30 minutes, until it looks sweaty (has little beads of moisture on the surface).
- Rinse the eggplant and pat dry with a kitchen towel.
- Heat the oil in a large high-sided pan over medium heat. Add the eggplant, onion, and fine sea salt and stir to combine. Cover tightly with a lid and cook until the eggplant is starting to soften and the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking until the vegetables are starting to lightly brown, about 5 minutes more.
- Add the garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, pepper flakes, and black pepper, and cook for 1 minute more.
- Add the chickpeas, tomato sauce, raisins, and 1/2 cup water, and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer. Then reduce the heat to low, cover tightly with a lid, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed. Garnish with the scallions before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of the recipe
- Calories: 200
Keywords: eggplant, chickpea, stew, tagine
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