Eggplant Mnazaleh

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< 1 min read
Summary

Mnazaleh is a Middle Eastern eggplant and tomato stew rich in healing spices, like cinnamon, clove, turmeric, and nutmeg. As you’ll soon see, the spices are a nice complement to hearty eggplant, stewed tomatoes, chickpeas, and spinach. We believe this will be a welcome warning — this dish will fill your kitchen (and entire home) with warming aromas!

Yields4 ServingsPrep Time20 minsCook Time20 minsTotal Time40 mins

Ingredients

 ¾ tsp mustard seed
 ¾ tsp cumin seed
 1 medium eggplant cut into 1” pieces (4–5 cups), with skin, if desired
 1 cup yellow onion (chopped)
 3 medium garlic cloves (minced)
 2 tbsp organic tomato paste (BPA-free canned)
 1 tsp ground paprika (regular or sweet)
 1 tsp ground cumin
 ½ tsp ground turmeric
  tsp ground nutmeg
 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional), + 1 pinch as needed
 3 large organic tomatoes, grated, see Chef’s Notes (about 2 cups grated)
 1 ½ cups chickpeas (homemade or BPA-free canned, drained)
 2 cups organic spinach (chopped)
 ¼ cup cilantro (or parsley, chopped)
 ¼ tsp salt (optional)
 ¼ tsp ground black pepper (optional)
 crushed red pepper flakes (optional) to taste

Directions

1

Heat a large stovetop pot over medium high heat. Add the mustard seed and cumin seed, cook for 1–2 minutes until they start to become fragrant, stirring or tossing often.

2

Add onion and the eggplant and cook until the eggplant starts to brown, about 3–5 minutes. Add 1–2 tablespoons of water as needed to deglaze the pan.

3

Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.

4

Add the tomato paste, paprika, cumin, turmeric, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper, if using. Stir well and cook until fragrant, about one minute.

5

Add the grated tomatoes and chickpeas. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6

Remove from the heat and stir in the spinach and cilantro or parsley until the spinach is tender.

7

Taste for salt and pepper and add as desired. Add crushed red pepper flakes, if desired.

Chef's Notes

Substitutions
Use white or red onion, or shallots, in place of yellow onion.

For the tomatoes, use any kind of tomatoes you prefer. If you only have grape or cherry tomatoes then you can “grate” them by grinding them in a food processor until liquid tomato with a mealy consistency.

Use another bean or legume of choice in place of chickpeas.

Use another leafy green of choice in place of spinach.

How to Grate the Tomatoes
The grated tomatoes will end up being mostly tomato juice with a mealy consistency, which is what you want. You’ll be left with the tomato skin after grating them, which you won’t use in this recipe. Feel free to use it in another recipe or compost it! We recommend using a traditional grater to grate the tomatoes. You could also use a food processor. Just know that it’ll include the skin (that is absolutely okay).

Prep Ahead
Cut your eggplant, onion, and garlic the day before making the recipe. Store them in airtight containers in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze for up to one month.

Ingredients

 ¾ tsp mustard seed
 ¾ tsp cumin seed
 1 medium eggplant cut into 1” pieces (4–5 cups), with skin, if desired
 1 cup yellow onion (chopped)
 3 medium garlic cloves (minced)
 2 tbsp organic tomato paste (BPA-free canned)
 1 tsp ground paprika (regular or sweet)
 1 tsp ground cumin
 ½ tsp ground turmeric
  tsp ground nutmeg
 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional), + 1 pinch as needed
 3 large organic tomatoes, grated, see Chef’s Notes (about 2 cups grated)
 1 ½ cups chickpeas (homemade or BPA-free canned, drained)
 2 cups organic spinach (chopped)
 ¼ cup cilantro (or parsley, chopped)
 ¼ tsp salt (optional)
 ¼ tsp ground black pepper (optional)
 crushed red pepper flakes (optional) to taste

Directions

1

Heat a large stovetop pot over medium high heat. Add the mustard seed and cumin seed, cook for 1–2 minutes until they start to become fragrant, stirring or tossing often.

2

Add onion and the eggplant and cook until the eggplant starts to brown, about 3–5 minutes. Add 1–2 tablespoons of water as needed to deglaze the pan.

3

Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.

4

Add the tomato paste, paprika, cumin, turmeric, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper, if using. Stir well and cook until fragrant, about one minute.

5

Add the grated tomatoes and chickpeas. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6

Remove from the heat and stir in the spinach and cilantro or parsley until the spinach is tender.

7

Taste for salt and pepper and add as desired. Add crushed red pepper flakes, if desired.

Notes

Eggplant Mnazaleh