Smoky Rose Harissa Aubergine Grain Bowl

Published by

Jasmine

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Today I’m sharing a dish that hits all the right notes; it’s full of flavour, takes advantage of aubergine season and it’s high-fibre and high-protein. Let’s jump into the aubergine bowl I’ve had on heavy rotation in recent weeks…

INGREDIENTS

Key ingredients:

Aubergine (medium in size)

Chickpeas (pre-cooked)

Spelt grain (pearl barley, rye or even quinoa also work)

Rose harissa paste (or regular harissa paste)

Tahini yoghurt:

Tahini

Greek yoghurt (it can be 0% fat as long as the texture is thick)

Lemon juice

Toppings:

Fresh parsley (or coriander)

Pomegranate seeds

Feta

Extra tahini

Optional: sumac

TIPS & NOTES

I really recommend not skipping the salting step in this recipe; it helps draw out moisture and you can always do this whilst your oven preheats. I personally like to cook this in a cast iron casserole dish with a lid, but you can use a roaster or even just roast it without covering on a sheet pan or in an oven dish (it just won’t hold as much heat).

Rose Harissa Aubergine Bowl

  • Servings: 2
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

A smoky, flavourful dish featuring aubergine and whole grains

No special equipment or advance prep needed (optional: pre-soaking the spelt for between 2 hours and 30 mins)


Ingredients

  • 2 medium aubergines (top removed, cut in half and scored in a cross-hatch pattern)
  • 30g of rose harissa paste
  • 100g of spelt grain (rinsed)
  • c.125g of chickpeas (1/2 a 400g can, drained and rinsed)
  • 200g of Greek yoghurt
  • 25g of tahini
  • Juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • 60g of feta cheese
  • 25g of pomegranate seeds
  • 12g of almond flakes
  • A small handful (c.3g) of fresh parsley (stems removed)
  • A drizzle or two of olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste


Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 200C and boil the kettle
  2. Massage salt onto the flat surface of each of the aubergine halves and leave for 10-15 minutes – you should notice water on the surface, which can then be blotted off with fragrance-free kitchen roll
  3. Add a little olive oil to the bottom of your casserole dish and place the aubergines on the surface, flat side down – cover and cook for 10 minutes
  4. Add a little olive oil to the bottom of a lidded saucepan over a medium heat, add the spelt with a little salt and pepper and toast in the oil for a minute or two before adding 150ml of boiling water – bring this to a boil and then reduce to a simmer to cook for c.20 minutes
  5. Remove the casserole dish from the oven and turn over the aubergine halves so the flat side is up – add some extra salt and pepper and spread the rose harissa over the surface before covering and returning to the oven for another 10 minutes, after which you should turn the aubergines once again
  6. When the spelt is almost done, add the chickpeas, season again with salt and pepper and continue cooking for a couple of minutes before removing from the heat
  7. Make the tahini yoghurt by adding 3/4s of the tahini (save some as a topping) to the Greek yoghurt and lemon juice – add some salt and pepper and stir to combine
  8. For the final 10 minutes, turn the aubergine so the flat sides are up and roast uncooked until the texture is soft and not spongy
  9. To your serving plate, add a layer of tahini yoghurt, spoon over the spelt and chickpeas and top off with the aubergine halves before drizzling over the reserved tahini, crumbling over the feta and topping with the parsley and pomegranate seeds

Let me know if you try this aubergine bowl!

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