I love middle eastern food. Plain and simple. The flavors go so far beyond just hummus and pita. When I was younger and we lived in South America , we would frequent the Syrian, Lebanese and Armenian restaurants a lot because of their vast selection of vegetarian dishes. Hummus, babaganoush, tabouleh, fattoush salad and one of my favorites, lebanese mousakka. Mmmmm my mouth is watering! This dish is called Maghmour I believe in Arabic, and bares very little resemblance to its Greek counterpart (A layered caserole dish with meat and potatoes.) It is a savory, tangy, and sometimes spicy blend of tomatoes, spices, eggplant and chickpeas. I’ve seen it served both room-temperature and warm. I ate this dish warm. Especially, now that tomatoes are in season I used a bunch of fresh tomatoes. You are going to love it!
I paired this with some delicious middle eastern spiced rice. You see this on the streetcarts of NYC and in any shawarma place. Warm Basmati rice cooked to perfection with a blend of freshly ground cinnamon, cloves, peppercorn, allspice and paprika. I topped it off with a few slivered almonds.
*On the side was a yummy and simple salad of Persian cucumbers, tomatoes, mint and feta. Drizzled with some balsamic vinegar and olive oil. (This was the only non-vegan portion of this recipe.
For the Rice:
You Will Need:
- 1 1/2 cups basmati rice, rinsed a few times under running water
- 1 tbsp whole allspice
- 1 tsp whole cloves (4-5 cloves)
- 1 tsp whole peppercorns
- 1/2 cinnamon stick
- 1 tbsp paprika
- Olive oil
- Mint, cilantro or slivered almonds for garnish
1) Grind whole spices finely in the above proportions
2) Heat olive oil in a skillet and add spices, saute for less than a minute
3) Add 1/1/2 cups basmati rice (rinsed first) and fold in the spices
4) Allow the spices and rice to fully blend together (2-3 minutes)
5) transfer to a rice cooker or pot, and add less than 3 cups of water and 1 tsp salt, cook covered on medium for about 20 minutes, until the rice is cooked.
The result is spiced, savory perfection! Garnish with some mint and slivered almonds if you like!
For the Maghmour
You will need:
- 2 eggplants
- About 5-6 Roma tomatoes , chopped(or 3 larger tomatoes)
- 1/2 Red onion
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 cloves of garlic
- Cayenne pepper or any chili powder on hand
- A pinch of sugar
- Paprika
- Cumin powder
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 1 Can of chickpeas, drained ( I used only half in this recipe)
Before you begin:
- Preheat the oven to 400° and trim the ends of the eggplants, and peel in strips (like below image)
- Then, cut the eggplant into about 1 inch rounds, and lay them on a baking sheet. Drizzle generously with olive oil and salt them. Make sure both sides get some olive oil.
To Prepare:
1. Bake eggplant rounds for 20 minutes, turning half-way. Remove when eggplants are soft, but not squishy. Cut into cubes and set aside.
4. In a skillet, heat olive oil and saute half a large red onion and 3 cloves of garlic, minced
5. Add in the chopped tomatoes and 1 tbsp of tomato paste
6. Saute for a few minutes, and add 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp paprika, and 1/2 tsp cayenne powder (more if you like it spicy). Add 1 tsp salt and let the tomatoes reduce into a nice sauce, adding water as necessary. This should take about 10 minutes.
7. Reduce flame to medium and add chick peas. I am not a huge fan of chickpeas so I just added half the can. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Add a pinch of sugar if you feel it is too acidic. This cuts the acid.
8. Add in the eggplant and mix well.
9. Finish it off with some fresh chopped mint and cilantro. Remove from flame and serve with the spiced rice and salad!
