Curried eggplant and chickpea stew with tangy yogurt sauce
5
Points®
Total time: 1 hr 24 min • Prep: 25 min • Cook: 59 min • Serves: 4 • Difficulty: Easy
The spicy Middle Eastern flavors in this stew are tamed by a cool and refreshing yogurt sauce. If you prefer, serve it with basmati or jasmine rice instead of the brown rice. Or, spoon it over riced cauliflower for a veggie alternative to grains. In the summertime, when fresh mint is abundant, add a tablespoon or two to the yogurt sauce. You could also swap some basil for the cilantro if you’d like. For variation, replace some of the chickpeas with cooked chicken or shrimp—just plan to add them during the last few minutes of cooking to heat them thoroughly yet preventing them from being overcooked.
Ingredients
Olive oil
2 tsp
Garlic
2 clove(s), chopped
Fresh ginger
1 Tbsp, fresh, peeled and minced
Bell pepper
2 item(s), medium, seeded and chopped
Onion
1 medium, chopped
Curry powder
1 Tbsp
Cumin seeds
2 tsp
Ground cinnamon
1 tsp
Cayenne pepper
⅛ tsp
Uncooked eggplant
1¼ pound(s), unpeeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
Canned chickpeas
19 oz, drained
Vegetable broth
2 cup(s), reduced-sodium
Canned diced tomatoes
1 cup(s), drained
Table salt
½ tsp
Sugar
¾ tsp
Cilantro
¼ cup(s), chopped
Cooked long grain brown rice
2 cup(s)
Plain fat free yogurt
8 oz
Lemon juice canned or bottled
1 tsp
Garlic
1 clove(s), minced
Ground cumin
½ tsp
Instructions
1
Heat the oil in a large nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the bell peppers and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the curry powder, cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the eggplant and cook until slightly softened, about 10 minutes.
2
Stir the chickpeas, broth, tomatoes, salt, and sugar into the saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the flavors are blended, about 30 minutes. Uncover and cook until the mixture thickens slightly, about 10 minutes longer. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro.
3
Meanwhile, to prepare the yogurt sauce, whisk together the yogurt, mint, lemon juice, garlic, and cumin in a medium bowl.
4
Serve the stew with the rice and yogurt sauce. Yields 1 1⁄2 cups stew, 1⁄2 cup rice, and 1⁄4 cup sauce per serving.
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