Fall is here! This is a perfect dinner for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any other festivity. It is absolutely AMAZING. It’s my favorite dish. The texture of the eggplant and chickpeas go so well together, and the sweetness of the dates and apricots blend perfectly with the cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and turmeric. Just thinking about it makes me smile. Eggplants protect the brain by fighting free radicals, and chickpeas help lower risk of colon problems. (According to Norman Walker, it’s all about the colon!)
Iranian Eggplant and Chickpeas Stew with Coconut-Almond Sauce
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Danielle Joy
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- For the sauce:
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil*
- 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped (again, if using organic garlic you may want to reduce the amount)
- 2 cm ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon honey or agave syrup
- 400 ml coconut milk
- 750 ml water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 100 g ground almonds
- zest and juice of 1 lime/lemon
- salt to taste
- For the spice mix:
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- For the stew:
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil*
- 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 3 medium eggplants, chopped in square inch pieces
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped (when using organic garlic, reduce to 2 or 3)
- 1 green pepper, diced finely
- 60 ml orange juice
- 100 g cooked chickpeas
- 150 g roasted cashews
- 100 g dried apricots
- 100 g dates, chopped
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- 1½ cup tomato ketchup
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh coriander, chopped
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- If roasting the cashews, preheat the oven to 350º F. Stir. Place in oven for 3 minutes. Check if done.
- For the coconut-almond sauce: Gently fry the onion in the coconut oil until soft.
- Add the garlic and ginger and fry very gently. (Make sure the onion and garlic don't brown as this will ruin the color of the sauce)
- Add the spices and stir into the onion mixture.
- If roasting the cashews, place in oven for 5 minutes.
- Add the coconut milk, water, and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
- Take cashews out of the oven and stir. Place back into oven for 3 minutes.
- Take sauce off heat and remove cinnamon stick.
- Add ground almonds, lime/lemon zest and juice, and a pinch of salt.
- Let cool. (You will be blending this sauce later, but first you must allow the sauce to cool otherwise it will explode the top of the blender off and you will have a coconut-almond sauce painted kitchen.)
- Meanwhile, prepare the stew. Heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil (olive oil may be substituted).
- Fry onion until translucent. Add the garlic and spice mix and stir-fry until fragrant. (DO NOT BURN THE GARLIC!) Add the green pepper and orange juice, stir well. Fry until the pepper is soft.
- Transfer the mixture to a large pot and add cooked chickpeas, chopped apricots, chopped dates, diced tomatoes. tomato ketchup, chopped eggplant, lemon juice, coriander (reserve some coriander for the garnish), salt and lots of black pepper. Mix well.
- Cover with lid and, stirring occasionally, simmer for 20 minutes or until eggplant is soft.
- Blend the sauce that you let cool until smooth.
- Serve stew with couscous or rice and the coconut-almond sauce. Top the stew with roasted/toasted cashews and leftover coriander.
Notes
This recipe tastes best when made a day before serving because then the spices will really be able to "soak in". If you didn't plan in advance, however, you can make this recipe and serve immediately. Just be sure to start by preparing the sauce.
* The coconut oil may be substituted by olive oil, but coconut oil is preferred.
* The coconut oil may be substituted by olive oil, but coconut oil is preferred.
laura
Love it! Dit ga ik sowieso snel maken 🙂 liefs!
Danielle Joy
Let me know how you liked it! The Dutch recipe is on: http://daniellejoy.nl/iraanse-stoofpot/
Jennider
Hi Danielle
Does the spice mix go into the stew or sauce? Thanks.
Danielle Joy
Hi Jennifer,
The spice mix goes into the sauce. 🙂
Chrissie
I just made this recipe today, and I love it. My whole family loves it! I sided mine with a mix of rice and quinoa and savory roasted Brussels. Perfect. Thank you so much for sharing.
Danielle Joy
I’m so glad you like it, Chrissie! I’ve never thought of pairing it with savory roasted Brussel sprouts, but that sounds like an excellent idea.
Karen
you show spices in the lsit of ingredients at the top for the sauce but then you show a spic mix. turmeric is in both and cinnamon as a stick in one but as a quantity in the spice mix? Please clarify.
Danielle Joy
Hi Karen! The spice mix goes into the stew at step #12 whereas the spices listed under the ingredients for the sauce are different from the spice mix and are meant to go into the sauce. I hope this clarifies things! The cinnamon stick is meant for the sauce. You let it simmer until the sauce is done and then take it out before you blend the sauce to a smooth finish. If you want, you can substitute the cinnamon stick for a teaspoon of cinnamon instead.
Marnie Beaubien
I also had a question about the spice mix .. as the sauce mix has turmeric, cayenne and syrup.. so in effect are you putting in 2 tsp of Turmeric .. so when it says add the spices .. all this gets added?
I made it for a group last night celebrating Purim. It was a big success. I actually forgot the cayenne.
Danielle Joy
Hi Marnie! Sorry for the confusion. I’m so glad you like the recipe! The spices listed under the ingredients for the sauce go into the sauce ONLY and are not part of the “spice mix” that is used for the stew later on in the recipe in step #12. Hope this helps!