Chickpea and Aubergine Tagine 

 

Ingredients 

The Chickpeas:
1 cup dried chickpeas
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon rock sea 

The Vegetables:
6 medium sized aubergines cut into circles
6 diced small potatoes 
2 tablespoons olive oil
Rock salt to taste
3 diced peppers 
2 teaspoons cumin seed
2 medium sized red onions chopped
1 teaspoon chilli powder
Pinch of turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cinnamon stick
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
8 to 10 medium size ripe tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
Juice of 1 lemon

Method

The chickpeas:
Cover the chickpeas with a few inches of water and soak for 16-24 hours. Drain the chickpeas, place them in a large saucepan with the bay leaf, and cover them with 2 – 3 inches of cool water. Bring the chickpeas to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover the pan partially with a lid, and simmer the beans until they are very tender, but not falling apart, adding more water as necessary to keep the beans well covered, and adding the salt when the beans are close to being done. This can take anywhere from 1 to 2 hours. Use a pressure cooker before adding the bay leaf if you prefer to save time. Let the chickpeas cool in their broth.

The vegetables:

Steam the aubergines, peppers and potatoes until soft. Heat the olive oil then add the cumin seeds, onions, garlic and ginger and stir for a few minutes. Add the rest of the spices. Blend the tomatoes and add to the mixture. Heat for a few more minutes until the blended tomatoes start to simmer. Add the chickpeas in the broth and then the vegetables. Simmer the entire tagine together for 10 to 25 minutes until you can taste all the flavours. Add the lemon juice at the end. Serve with wholemeal couscous garnished with lemon slices and fresh chopped coriander and enjoy.