Have you ever cooked a Persian-inspired dish? There's always a first time for everything in life. This recipe is an adaptation of the traditional Persian dish - Chermoula - with an extra source of plant protein - lentils and meaty mushrooms. It is usually served cold as part of a mezze (starter set) but it can also be eaten hot with rice.
10min
prep time
20min
cook time
30min
total time
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- 2 aubergines cut into 2cm cubes
- 1 medium sliced onion
- 3 garlic cloves crushed with salt
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 0.5 red pepper cut into slices
- 0.5 cup of red split lentils
- 2 cups of sliced mushrooms
- 400 g of chopped tomatoes
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp of fresh dill
- Unsweetened soy yogurt, to serve
Instructions
- Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a pan and sauté the aubergine until brown. Set aside when cooked.
- Pop the onions in and sauté until nearly brown – then add the garlic, cumin, cinnamon and smoked paprika – stir – then add the pepper strips, lentils, mushrooms and chopped tomatoes. Wait until everything is cooked and then add a touch of salt – cook for a further 5 minutes. Then add the apple cider vinegar and maple syrup.
- Increase the temperature and fry up until for a few minutes. Combine well.
- Stir in the aubergine and cook for 8 minutes on a low heat. Then leave the pan for a couple of minutes while the spices get stronger.
- Serve (warm or cold) with some fresh dill and a dollop of yogurt.
