A Turkish Recipe for Spicy Eggplant and Red Kidney Bean Stew

A Turkish Recipe for Spicy Eggplant and Red Kidney Bean Stew 

(Adapted from turkeysforlife)

So, for some reason, I always have eggplants lying around in the refrigerator, with no specific plans.  I could grill them, smoke them (baba ganoush, baignan bhartha), make Honey-Harissa Eggplant, but today I thought I should make a Turkish Eggplant stew.  Somewhat related to the Indian eggplant/bean dish we’ve made before, but this recipe has less liquid and a nice mix of sweet/spicy flavors.  I decided that this would be a dish that Katie would be able to prepare in her apartment in Istanbul.  Someday, I will make a Patlican Gozleme, but that is for another time!

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp. olive oil (or a little more)

1 large onion chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 large eggplant, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 can diced tomatoes (undrained)

1 Tbsp. cumin

1 Tsp. coriander

1 Tsp. red pepper flakes (or red chili powder)

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 can Red kidney beans, drained and washed

Procedure:

1.     Gently heat 3 Tbsp. of olive oil in a large pan. Peel and chop 1 large onion into cubes and add to your pan.

2.     Peel and mince 4 cloves of garlic and add that to the pan also and give it a stir. Sauté the contents of your pan until the onions soften.

3.     Add ground cumin, ground coriander and chilli flakes and cinnamon.

4.     Now chop eggplant into bite-sized chunks and add to the pan. Stir it all up so the eggplant pieces become coated with the oil and spices and let them cook for a few minutes.

5.     Add can of tomatoes to the pan.

6.     Drain beans, add to the pan, stir everything up, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, until your eggplant goes soft.

Serve the stew on a bed of Turkish rice or bulgur wheat. Sprinkle freshly chopped cilantro over the dish. You can also mix in some plain Yogurt before eating. Delicious!