100 Delicious Syrian Recipes

Betinjen
mehshik
STUFFED SMALL
AUBERGINES
SERVES 6
100 g (½ cup) dried chickpeas
(use split chickpeas if available)
200 g (1 cup) medium-grain rice
18 long, thin (10–15 cm/4–6 in) aubergines (eggplants)
large handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 small brown onion, finely chopped
1 small tomato, finely chopped and drained in a sieve
½ green (bell) pepper, seeds and membrane removed,
flesh finely chopped
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 teaspoons salt flakes
125 ml (½ cup) olive oil
2 large tomatoes, extra, cut into 5 mm (¼ in)
thick slices
1 × 420 g (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon dried mint
1 clove garlic, crushed
natural yoghurt, to serve
Note: If you’re likely to make this more than
once, it’s worth visiting a Middle Eastern store
and buying a manakra – a traditional tool used
to remove the flesh from aubergine (eggplant) and
courgette (zucchini).
114
I grew up believing that no one in our family could possibly
survive as a vegetarian. Being a vegan would be something
else altogether! However, over time I have come to realise that
Middle Eastern cuisine in fact offers many vegetarian and vegan
options. One main reason is that you can’t eat meat during Lent
and the other is a matter of poverty, or lack of available meat
products. Although I am a meat-lover myself, I absolutely adore
this dish. The aubergines (eggplants) you’re looking for here are
the long, thin purple ones.
Soak the chickpeas in a bowl of water overnight. Rinse and drain.
Rinse the rice well, then soak in a bowl of warm water for about
30 minutes. Drain.
Wash the aubergines (eggplants), then cut the stalk and about
2–3 cm (¾–1¼ in) off the top of each one. Carefully hollow out the
aubergines (eggplants) using a small spoon or apple corer, leaving
a 5 mm (¼ in) thick shell (this is a guide; it’s okay if you have left a
little more or less flesh around the inside of the aubergine/eggplant).
Take your time so you don’t break the skin.
Drain the chickpeas. If using whole chickpeas, place them on
a chopping board and crush with a rolling pin to split the peas and
work their skins loose. Discard the skins.
To make the stuffing, place the rice, chickpeas, parsley, onion,
chopped tomato, green pepper, pepper, 1 teaspoon salt and 60 ml
(¼ cup) olive oil in a bowl and mix together well.
Using your hands, gently fill the aubergine (eggplant) shells with
the stuffing, tapping the base on the bench to close up any holes.
Don’t overfill them as the rice will expand during cooking – leave a
gap of about 5 mm (¼ in) at the top of the shells.
Lay the tomato slices in the base of a large heavy-based
saucepan, pour over the remaining olive oil and arrange the stuffed
aubergines (eggplants) on top in neat layers.
Mix together the diced tomatoes, mint, garlic, remaining salt
and 375 ml (1½ cups) water in a bowl, then pour evenly over the
stuffed aubergines (eggplants).
Place two plates on top to weight the aubergines (eggplants)
down during cooking and cover with a lid. Bring to the boil over
medium–high heat, then remove the lid, reduce the heat to low and
simmer for about 45 minutes or until the aubergines (eggplants) are
very tender and the sauce is reduced. Leave to sit for a few minutes,
then remove from the pan and serve with yoghurt.
MAINS