Moroccan Eggplant-tomato stew 🍅🍲

For the Fresh Food Box this month, we are making delicious Moroccan-inspired stew containing a hearty mix of chickpeas, eggplants, and tomatoes. Yum! 😋

This recipe was adapted from the Minimalist Baker blog.

Ingredients

For this recipe, you will be provided with:

• 1 eggplant (sliced)

• 1 tomato (diced into small cubes)

• 1 yellow onion (diced as best as you can!)

• 1 large lemon

• 1 bunch of fresh parsley (diced)

• 1/2 bulb garlic (diced)

• 1 can chickpeas (use half, or more according to preference)

• Tomato paste can (use half, or more according to preference)

• Spice mix containing:

  • 1 tsp cumin

  • 1 tsp paprika

• 4 tbsp olive oil

• 3 cups white basmati rice (for serving)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 F (218 C) and line a baking pan with parchment paper (if you do not have an oven, you can fry in a pan over medium to high heat).

2. Slice eggplant into cubes drizzle with 1/2 to 1 tbsp of oil and roast for 15-20 minutes or until slightly golden.

   1. 💡TIP: If you are worried the eggplant will be bitter, soak the cubes in warm salt water for 10-20 minutes first, then rinse with cold water, wring dry, and bake.

3. In the meantime, heat a pan and add the olive oil. Chop 1/2 onion and minced garlic and sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently until caramelized.

4. Add tomato paste, spice mix, and stir to coat.

5. Dice tomatoes into small cubes and add with juices to pan. Add 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

6. Add rinsed and drained chickpeas. Remove eggplants from oven and add to stew. Add 2 tbsp of fresh lemon juice or more to taste. Stir and simmer over medium-low heat for another 10 minutes. Taste, add salt, and adjust flavors as needed.

7. In the meantime, cook up to 3 cups of rice (depending on how much rice you like). For every cup of rice you cook, you need 1.5 cups of water. For example, 1 cup of rice= 1.5 cups of water. 3 cups of rice=4.5 cups of water.

   1. Place water and rice in a sauce pan.

   2. Bring to simmer on medium-to-high, with the lid OFF.

   3. When it is bubbling, place the lid on and turn the heat down medium-to-low.

   4. Cook for around 12 minutes.

   5. Turn off the heat and let rest for a few minutes.

8. Turn off heat for the stew. Finely chop the fresh parsley and add to stew once slightly cooled. Serve with rice and plain yoghurt.

Watch this video for a demonstration of this recipe, and let us know in the comments below of the results! Hope you like it as much as we do 😊