Eggplant and lentil stew
Vegan eggplant and red lentil stew is a filling vegetarian dish perfect for any season, but it tastes especially delicious on colder days. The base of this vegetable stew is eggplant, red lentils, onion, cranberries, tomato passata and spices. Start preparing the stew by soaking the lentils and cutting then salting the eggplant – to get rid of excess bitterness. Then, fry the salted and pat-dried eggplant, onion and garlic in oil, after which you can add the remaining ingredients and simmer over a low heat. Serve this meatless stew for dinner, by itself or as an addition to your favourite meat. I encourage you to check the following recipe for eggplant and lentil stew, and I hope you will enjoy it.
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Ingredients for eggplant and lentil stew.
- 250 g red lentils
- 1 l water
- 100 g dry cranberries
- 450 g eggplant
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 3 tablespoons of oil
- 150 g onion
- 1 teaspoon of dry parsley
- 2 big cloves of garlic
- 1 teaspoon of sweet paprika powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of spicy paprika powder
- 700 g passata
- 1 flat teaspoon of crystal sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground caraway
- 1/2 teaspoon of coriander powder
To serve (optional):
- natural joghurt
- pomegranate seeds
How to make eggplant and lentil stew.
Pour the red lentils into a bowl, pour 500 ml of water over them and set them aside for 2 hours.
Cut the washed, pat-dried eggplant into large pieces or into large cubes, place them in a bowl, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt, mix and leave for an hour. Next, put it in a colander and leave it for a moment to drain the excess liquid – you can also dry the eggplant pieces with a paper towel.
Pour oil into a larger pot, heat it up and when hot, add the eggplant. Fry the eggplant on a medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally – the eggplant should brown slightly. After that, add the mashed garlic and the onion cut into large cubes, and fry for 5 minutes on a medium heat. Stir the frying vegetables from time to time.
Next add cranberries, drained lentils, passata, 500 ml water, 1 teaspoon salt, black pepper, sweet and spicy paprika, cumin, turmeric, sugar, parsley and bring it to a boil. Cover and simmer on a low heat for an hour, stirring occasionally. Serve the eggplant and lentil stew on its own or with natural yoghurt and pomegranate seeds.
Good to know when making eggplant and lentil stew.
Cook the vegetables until the red lentils are soft. This usually takes less than an hour.
Tomato passata can be replaced with canned tomatoes or tomato sauce.
This stew is delicious served as a main course, but it can also be served as an addition to other dishes. If you serve it as a main course, it tastes great when served with yoghurt and additionally with pomegranate seeds and fresh coriander.
Do you like dishes with eggplant? If so, try our recipe for Eggplant Parmigiana.
