Oriental stuffed eggplants with yogurt dip

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 6 eggplant(s)
• 3 small onions
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp, heaped cinnamon
• 2 tsp, heaped cumin
• 1 tsp, heaped turmeric
• 2 tsp, heaped paprika powder, sweet
• 1 pinch of chili or cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp, leveled salt
• pepper
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 800 g chickpeas from the can
• 1 bunch of chopped coriander leaves (also for the dip)
• ½ can tomatoes, chunky (good quality)
• 1 bunch parsley, chopped
• 2 tbsp raisins
• 2 tbsp yogurt
• 1 small onion(s), chopped
• olive oil
• 1 tsp, levelled sugar
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 ½ can tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tsp, leveled salt
• Pepper, freshly ground
• 200 g Greek yogurt
• 2 sprigs of mint, chopped
• 1 tbsp chopped coriander (see above)
• some salt

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours

Vegetarian, oven-baked, with chickpeas

First, clean the eggplants at the base of the stem and cut them in half. Using a teaspoon, hollow out the eggplant halves, leaving a 1-1.5 cm edge, then salt the inside and let them draw water for about 15 minutes. Dice the shelled eggplant flesh, salt it, and let it draw water in a sieve for about 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan. For the filling, finely dice the onions, press the garlic, and finely chop the parsley and coriander. Set aside 1 tablespoon of chopped coriander for the yogurt dip. Rinse the eggplant halves with water, place skin-side down on a baking tray, and bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes. Rinse the diced eggplant flesh with water and squeeze out some of the excess water. For the filling, gently sauté the onions in plenty of olive oil. Add the garlic, spices, tomato paste, and eggplant flesh and sauté for about 5 minutes. Then deglaze with the peeled tomatoes, season generously with salt and pepper. Add the chickpeas and simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in the chopped parsley, coriander, raisins, and yogurt, turn off the heat, and let the stuffing simmer on a warm plate for a while. For the tomato sauce, finely dice the onion and sauté in plenty of olive oil. Add the sugar and sauté for a while. Add the tomato paste, peeled tomatoes, and about 75 ml of water, season well with salt and pepper, and simmer with the lid on for about 15 minutes, then puree. Divide the hot tomato sauce among 1-2 baking dishes, covering the bottom. Remove the eggplant halves from the oven and place them skin-down in the baking dish. Fill each with 1-2 heaped tablespoons of filling. Then transfer the dish to the oven and roast the eggplants for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the mint leaves and reserved coriander with the yogurt and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to make a dip. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Serve the eggplant halves with the dip. Delicious!