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Aubergine with Tomatoes, Chickpeas & Yogurt

Aubergines & chickpeas in a spicy tomato sauce, dressed with creamy yogurt flavoured with garlic, cumin and paprika. Eat as a vegetarian main course or as part of a mezze style meal.

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish, Light Meal
Cuisine Middle Eastern, Vegetarian
Keyword mezze
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 2 as a main course, 4 as part of a mezze
Author Moorlands Eater

Ingredients

For the yogurt

  • 1 clove garlic roughly chopped
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 250 ml plain yogurt preferably thick/Greek style
  • ½ tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp paprika
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • squeeze of lemon juice optional

For the aubergines, tomatoes & chickpeas

  • 2 medium aubergines
  • 2 tbsp olive oil plus extra for brushing the aubergine slices
  • salt to taste
  • 4-6 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 2 heaped tsp ground cumin
  • 1 heaped tsp ground paprika
  • ¼-½ tsp dried chilli flakes
  • 400 g tin of chopped tomatoes
  • 1-2 tsp sugar optional
  • 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses see Recipe Notes
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 400 g tin of chickpeas drained weight: approx 240g
  • 3 tbsp fresh parsley roughly chopped
  • 1-2 tsp sumac or za'atar for sprinkling

Instructions

Make the yogurt first

  1. Sprinkle the chopped garlic with a pinch of salt.

    Using the flat part of a knife blade, mash the salt into the garlic to create a paste.

  2. Stir the garlic paste into the yogurt along with the cumin, paprika, a grind of black pepper plus a squeeze of lemon juice if using.

    Mix together well, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary then set aside.

Cooking the aubergines, tomatoes & chickpeas

  1. Switch the grill on to high.

  2. Remove and discard the ends of the aubergine then cut the rest into slices approx 2cm thick, then cut each one of these in half.

  3. You may need to do this step in batches if your grill is small, or brown some in a hot oven.

    Lay the aubergine pieces on the grill rack, brush with oil and sprinkle with a little salt. Grill until golden brown (5-10 min)

    Turn, then brush the other side with oil, sprinkle with salt and grill until browned (4-7 min).

    Remove the aubergine to a plate and switch off the grill.

  4. Meanwhile, put 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan on a low heat.

    When heated, add the chopped garlic and cook until only just golden (1-2 min).

  5. Stir in the ground cumin, paprika and dried chilli flakes and cook for 1 min.

  6. Stir in the chopped tomatoes (swish out the can with a little water and add that too), sugar if using, the pomegranate molasses, and season with salt and pepper.

  7. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

  8. Stir in the chickpeas and the browned aubergine then continue cooking until the aubergine is done to your liking and the sauce is thick and rich. (15-25 min)

    Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

  9. Take off the heat and stir in 2 tbsp of the parsley.

Serving

  1. Spread the aubergine, tomato and chickpeas over a shallow platter and allow to cool a little.

  2. Spoon over the spiced yogurt and sprinkle with the sumac or za'atar plus the final tablespoon of chopped parsley.

Recipe Notes

If you don't have pomegranate molasses, you may wish to increase the sugar by 1 tsp and add a squeeze of lemon when you stir in the parsley.