Maghmour

Don't Make These Mistakes

Roast the aubergine, do not fry it. Fried goes greasy as it cools.

Chickpeas in at the end, or they turn to paste.

Serve at room temperature. This is not a hot dish.

Cooking Maghmour

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1. Heat the oven to 220°C / 425°F. Toss the aubergine with 5 tbsp oil and the salt and roast on a large tray 30 minutes, turning once, until browned and completely soft.

   Mark done

2. Meanwhile soften the onions in 3 tbsp oil over medium heat for 10 minutes, then add the garlic and cook 2 minutes more.

   Mark done Start 10 min timer

3. Stir in the tomato purée and cook it out for 2 minutes until it darkens.

   Mark done Start 2 min timer

4. Add the tomatoes, cinnamon, Aleppo pepper, salt and water. Simmer 15 minutes.

   Mark done

5. Fold in the roasted aubergine and simmer 10 minutes so it takes up the sauce.

   Mark done

6. Add the chickpeas and cook a final 5 minutes, just to heat through — any longer and they go floury.

   Mark done

7. Take off the heat, stir in the finishing oil, and leave to come to room temperature before serving with parsley.

   Mark done

Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.

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Why It Works

The aubergine is roasted rather than fried, and that is a decision about oil rather than convenience. Fried aubergine absorbs so much that the finished stew turns greasy as it cools — and this is a dish eaten cool, when fat has set. Roasting at high heat collapses the flesh to the same silkiness on a fraction of the oil. Add the chickpeas late, too: an hour in tomato turns them to paste, and the dish wants them whole.

Storage and Reheating

Refrigerated for 5 days and better on day two. It freezes for 3 months.

Ingredient Swaps

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

Good With

• Flatbread
• Labneh
• A green salad

Common Questions About Maghmour

What's in a Serving

Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: a drained tin is counted at its full weight, liquid included, so those lines run high. How the figures are worked out.

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