While soft, silky aubergine is a thing of beauty, under-cooked aubergine is one of the worst thing you can put in your mouth. The first time I made this I was a little nervous about getting the aubergine cooked within 10 minutes, but to my surprise it was a cinch.
Covering the frying pan to keep the heat in and cutting the aubergine into relatively small chunks are the secrets to speedy cooking.
And don't worry about not salting the aubergine first: modern varieties don't have the bitterness that salting used to get rid of.
Enough for: 2
Takes: 10 minutes
1 large aubergine (eggplant), diced into 1 1/2 cm cubes
400g (14oz) can chickpeas, drained
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
small bunch fresh coriander (cilantro), leaves picked
1. Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a large frying pan.
2. Cook aubergine chunks over a medium-high heat, covered. Stir every few minutes until aubergine is super soft and a little golden.
3. Add chickpeas and ground coriander and stir through until chickpeas are warm.
4. Remove from the heat and add 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
5. Scatter over coriander leaves and serve.
Variations
short on time? - use grilled aubergine slices from the deli and just cook until everything is warm.
different legumes - replace chickpeas with about 250g canned or home-cooked beans, lentils or quinoa.
more veg - add zucchini, peppers, tomato.
herby - mint, parsley or basil are good instead of the coriander.
cheesy - it's lovely with goat's cheese or feta crumbled over.
carnivore - serve as a side to roast or pan fried chicken or brown some crumbled sausages and add to the pan.
carb lovers / more substantial - serve wrapped in warmed tortillas or flat bread.
paleo (grain, legume & dairy-free) / low carb - replace chickpeas with chicken thighs fillets - cook until chicken is no longer pink in the middle.
Waste Avoidance Strategy
aubergine (eggplant) – will keep in the fridge wrapped in a plastic bag for a few weeks. Can be frozen if needed. Or cooked eggplant eggplant should last a month or so.
can chickpeas / ground coriander - keep in the pantry.
lemon – whole lemon will keep wrapped in a plastic bag in the fridge for months.
coriander (cilantro) – freeze it in a plastic bag.
Prepare Ahead
Yes! Just cook as per the recipe but keep the coriander separately. Will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks or can be frozen. To serve, warm in a pan with a little oil.