033 / 75 · Beans, Lentils and Chickpeas
Chickpeas in a Soft Eggplant Sauce
2 bowls, each with half the chickpea-eggplant sauce and half the brown rice · Active 30 min · Total 1 hr 20 min
Print recipe · PDFEggplant needs enough cooking to become soft all the way through, not merely browned on the outside. This pan method uses a measured amount of oil and water rather than repeatedly adding fat to a thirsty vegetable. Chickpeas and tomato join after the eggplant has begun to soften. Brown rice cooks in a separate saucepan, making this a complete two-portion meal.
Do not stop at a colored edge
Cut the eggplant into even cubes with the skin left on. Some faces will color quickly while the centers remain springy. After the first sauté, add water and cover so steam can finish the inside. A cooked cube should crush easily with the side of a spoon and should not have a firm, pale sponge at its center. If the pan dries early, add a little more plain water rather than assuming the vegetable needs another tablespoon of oil. The measured oil remains part of the estimate even if some stays on the pan.
Use a partial mash, not a blender
Once the eggplant is genuinely tender, tomatoes and canned drained chickpeas can simmer together into a soft sauce. Crush a few cooked eggplant pieces against the pan; this thickens the liquid without erasing every distinct chickpea. Coriander and cumin are stirred briefly into the moist vegetables so they do not scorch on bare metal. Keep the brown rice moving at a gentle boil until its center is tender, following the packet if it needs longer. Drain it well and let it stand covered briefly before dividing. Spoon the sauce over the two rice portions rather than stretching the pot into several bowls that would no longer have the stated protein amount. The method is forgiving about a little plain water; it is not indifferent to raw versus cooked grain weights.
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant/aubergine, trimmed and cut in 2 cm/3/4-inch cubes (350 g raw, skin on)
- About 1 3/4 cups canned chickpeas, well drained (300 g edible)
- 1 can crushed tomatoes (400 g/about 14 oz), including juice
- 1 medium onion, finely diced (100 g)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced (6 g)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (15 ml/about 13.5 g)
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander seed (2 g)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (1 g)
- 3/4 cup drinking water (180 ml), plus up to 120 ml if needed for eggplant
- 1/2 cup dry long-grain brown rice (100 g)
- 4 cups drinking water (1 litre), for boiling and draining rice
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley (5 g)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt (1.5 g)
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper (0.3 g)
Set out
28 cm/11-inch deep nonstick skillet with lid, 2-litre/2-quart saucepan, Sieve, Wooden spoon, Knife and board, Kitchen scale, 2 bowls
Allergens
No major US allergens intentionally added; check canned chickpeas and spice labels for added ingredients. Check labels and substitutions.
Make it
- Bring rice-cooking water to a boil. Add rinsed brown rice and boil gently uncovered for its packet time, usually 30–45 minutes, until tender through the center; top up with drinking water if needed. Drain and stand covered off the heat for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile heat oil in the deep skillet over medium heat. Soften onion for 5 minutes, add eggplant and cook for 7–8 minutes, turning. Stir in garlic, coriander and cumin for 30 seconds.
- Add 180 ml water, cover and simmer gently for 12–15 minutes, stirring once or twice, until eggplant cubes crush easily. Add some of the extra water if the pan dries before they soften.
- Add canned drained chickpeas, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered for 12–15 minutes until the sauce thickens and all ingredients are hot. Crush a few eggplant pieces against the pan with the spoon and fold in parsley.
- Divide rice and the full chickpea-eggplant sauce equally between 2 bowls and serve promptly.
A useful kitchen skill
Use pressure from a spoon to test the center of an eggplant cube. A browned surface can hide a raw, springy interior.
A useful detail
The 80-minute total allows proper eggplant softening and a full brown-rice cooking window, overlapping the two pans. The estimate uses canned drained chickpeas and 100 g dry brown rice.
Another way
- Replace eggplant with 350 g diced courgette/zucchini, shortening the covered stage and recalculating for courgette; it needs less time to soften.
- Use 100 g dry white rice with its own shorter packet cooking method and a new rice calculation.
Keep it well
Refrigerate promptly in shallow containers, ideally within 1 hour for rice and always within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C. Keep at 40°F/4°C or below, use within 24 hours of the rice’s original cooking and reheat only once to 165°F/74°C throughout. Keep the rice deadline attached even if sauce is added later.