How to Cook Spanish Chickpea Stew
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 50 mins
Ingredients needed to make Chickpea Stew:
- One can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained
- 1 ½ lb eggplant, stemmed and chopped
- 2 zucchini, sliced
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeds removed and sliced into strips
- 8 parsley sprigs, only leaves chopped
- 8 cilantro sprigs, only leaves chopped
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp paprika
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup water
- 6 tbsp vegetable oil
- Harissa, to taste
Cooking instructions for Chickpea Stew:
- Drizzle 4 tbsp oil into a large frying pan and wait until it turns smoking hot over high heat.
- Throw in the diced eggplant and sauté for 10 minutes over slightly reduced heat, while stirring at times, until they are cooked through and golden.
- Remove from heat and keep it aside.
- Drizzle rest of the oil in a large Dutch oven and heat it over moderately high heat.
- Once it sizzles, throw in the bell pepper, onions as well as zucchini and stir fry for about 8-10 minutes, until the onions caramelize along its edges.
- Stir in the garlic, followed by a dash of ground turmeric and paprika and continue to cook briefly for about 15 seconds or until it gives out a pleasant, spicy aroma.
- Pour in the tomato sauce, along with a splash of water and the browned eggplant dices.
- Empty the can of chickpeas into it and stir them all together, along with a dash of salt.
- Bring the stew to a boil over high flame and then reduce it to a simmer.
- Put a lid on and continue to cook likewise for about half an hour or until the veggies are cooked through.
- Remove from heat and stir in the chopped parsley as well as the cilantro.
- Whisk in small amount of harissa for added flavours and ladle it into serving bowls.
- Serve warm alongside steaming white rice.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
