Roasted Aubergine and Chickpea Couscous Bowl
Oven-roasted aubergine and onion tumbled with chickpeas and a tomato cumin dressing, all soaked up by fluffy couscous. A hearty, comforting bowl with deep savory flavor.
- Total
- 55 min
- Prep 10 · Cook 35 · Rest 10
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Roasting · Absorption rice
- Savory
- Comforting
- Oven
Instructions
-
Heat the oven to 200°C. Cut the aubergine into 2 cm cubes and the onion into 1.5 cm wedges. Put both on the baking tray, drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, sprinkle with the cumin, 0.25 tsp salt and the black pepper, and toss to coat. Spread into a single layer.
~10 min
Cutting vegetables into uniform pieces ensures they roast at the same rate, preventing some from burning while others stay raw.
Roasting Roast vegetables in a single layer with space between pieces so they brown, not steam. Stir halfway for even cooking.
-
Roast the aubergine and onion until the edges are browned and the aubergine is tender when pierced with a knife, about 30 minutes. Stir once halfway through.
~30 min
Roasting at high heat caramelizes the natural sugars in the vegetables, creating deep savory flavor and browning.
Roasting Roast vegetables in a single layer with space between pieces so they brown, not steam. Stir halfway for even cooking.
-
While step 2 cooks
While the vegetables roast, put the couscous in the mixing bowl with 0.25 tsp salt and pour over the 120 ml water. Cover and leave to stand until the water is fully absorbed and the grains are tender, about 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
~10 min
Couscous absorbs water and steam to become tender; covering traps steam, and fluffing with a fork separates the grains.
If the couscous still feels firm after standing, add 2 tbsp hot water, cover and wait 3 more minutes.
Absorption rice Use the right water ratio and let it stand covered; avoid stirring too early, which makes grains gluey. Fluff with a fork.
-
Drain the chickpeas and pat them dry. In the small bowl, stir the canned tomatoes with the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt to make a dressing.
~5 min
Draining and drying chickpeas removes excess moisture so they can crisp and brown instead of steaming.
-
Add the chickpeas to the tray for the last 8 minutes of roasting, so they warm through and pick up color without drying out.
~8 min
Adding chickpeas at the end warms them through and lets them pick up color without drying out or becoming hard.
Pat the chickpeas dry before they go on the tray; surface moisture steams them and stops them browning.
Roasting Roast vegetables in a single layer with space between pieces so they brown, not steam. Stir halfway for even cooking.
-
Spoon the couscous into a bowl, top with the roasted aubergine, onion and chickpeas, spoon over the tomato dressing and scatter with the mint.
~2 min