Since of late I’ve been experimenting with Greek food, and I’ve been very happy with the results. Greek or Mediterranean food is very appealing to the South Indian pallet, although not with the level of spice we are used to.  I came across this dish labelled as an eggplant recipe, but the chickpeas tend to stand out more than the eggplant, so I’ve decided to call it a vegetable casserole. It serves as a satisfying meatless, vegan, gluten free, low fat, low carb main or side dish. Again, a perfect accompaniment to Turkish bread, lemon rice, and tzatziki.

Ingredients

• 500g eggplants cut into cubes
• Salt
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion
• 1 bell pepper trimmed, innards removed, and diced
• 1 carrot chopped
• 6 garlic cloves minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ – 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 can chopped tomato
• 1 can chickpeas
• Fresh parsley or mint for garnish

Method

Heat oven to 200⁰C (400⁰F). Sprinkle eggplant with salt and leave to sweat in a colander for about 20 minutes. Rinse, squeeze out extra liquid, and pat dry. In a large brazier or Dutch oven, heat about ¼ cup olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, peppers, and carrot. Cook for 2-3 mins stirring regularly. Add garlic, bay leaves, spices, and salt to taste. Cook till fragrant. Add eggplant, chopped tomato, chickpeas with their liquid. Stir well. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10mins stirring often. Cover and transfer to the oven. Cook for about 30-45 mins till all the vegetables are cooked through. Check on contents from time to time. If the liquid dries up, add about ½ cup water at a time. Remove from oven, drizzle olive oil and serve topped with fresh herbs such as parsley or mint.