Emnazaleh: Vegetarian slow-cooker chickpea and eggplant stew

Ingredients

• 2 x 400g can chickpeas
• 1–2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large eggplant, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 tomatoes, diced
• 1 red capsicum, diced
• 1 teaspoon baharat (find it among spices at the shops)
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon dried mint
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a fry pan over medium heat and sauté onion until soft.
2. Add garlic and eggplant. Fry these off for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until the eggplant is tender. If you’re doing this in a frypan, once you’ve completed this step, transfer the onion, garlic and eggplant to your slow cooker.
3. Now add the tomato paste, fresh tomatoes, capsicum and all the herbs and spices.
4. Stir through the stock and drained chickpeas and mix to combine all the ingredients.
5. Place lid on your slow cooker and set on high for 2.5–3 hours.
6. When stew is ready, remove the lid and give it a good stir. Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm with bread.