Burnt Eggplant and Moghrabieh Soup

Name: Burnt Eggplant and Moghrabieh Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 people
Ingredients: 5 small eggplants; light oil; salt and pepper; 1 onion; 1 tablespoon cumin seeds; 1½ teaspoons tomato paste; 2 large tomatoes; 1½ cup vegetable stock; 1⅔ cup water; 2½ teaspoons sugar; 4 cloves garlic; 2 tablespoons lemon juice; ½ cup Israeli couscous; 2 tablespoons basil

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Unrated

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
45 mins
Servings
4 people
Calories
260 kcal
Course
Main Course, Soup
Cuisine
Middle Eastern

Burnt Eggplant and Moghrabieh Soup

Iris Warren

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A Middle Eastern soup recipe featuring eggplant that has a smoky flavor from crisping.

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Ingredients

Servings

5 small eggplants
light oil Canola, sunflower
salt and pepper to taste
1 onion thinly sliced
1 tablespoon cumin seeds freshly ground
1½ teaspoons tomato paste
2 large tomatoes diced
1½ cup vegetable stock
1⅔ cup water
2½ teaspoons sugar
4 cloves garlic crushed
2 tablespoons lemon juice fresh
½ cup Israeli couscous
2 tablespoons basil shredded, for garnish

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Instructions

Prepare three of the small eggplants using one of the methods described above. We prefer using our outdoor grill for charing the eggplant, so it doesn't produce a lot of smoke in the house.Be sure to poke the three eggplants with a fork before grilling.Still, determining how long it will take depends on how high the heat is on your grill. It should take at most 10 minutes, though.
With the remaining 2 eggplants, cut them up with skin on into ½ inch pieces.
Heat your large saucepan over medium-high heat. When hot, add ⅔ cup of light oil to the pan. As soon as the oil is hot, add the cut-up eggplant and cook for 14 minutes. Be sure to stir often to prevent burning. At this point, the eggplant pieces should be darkened on all sides.
Transfer the cooked eggplant to a colander to drain any remaining liquid and season with salt. Reserve for later.
Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan, and when hot, add the onion and ground cumin. Sauté the onions and cumin for about 8 minutes, and stir often. Stop and smell the onions and cumin cooking in the pan. Hmmm.
At this time, add the tomato paste and continue cooking for about 1 minute.
Now add the stock, water, garlic, sugar, lemon juice , diced tomatoes and salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer for 15 minutes.
While the above ingredients are simmering, bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Add the Israeli couscous and cook until al dente, about 15 minutes.Drain the couscous and rinse with cold water.
Back to the burnt eggplant. When they have cooled enough to handle, remove the charred skins and discard. Add the burnt eggplant to the saucepan of soup.
Using a hand blender, process the soup until it is smooth. If you don't have a hand blender, try using a stand blender or food processor.
Reserve some of the Israeli couscous and reserved sautéed eggplant for garnish. Add the rest to the soup and simmer for a couple of minutes.
Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.
To serve, add the reserved Israeli couscous and sautéed eggplant to 4 bowls and ladle the blended soup on top.
Garnish with the shredded basil and serve.