RecipeTin Eats’ one-pot spiced chickpeas and mushrooms is a vegetarian slam-dunk

Name: RecipeTin Eats’ one-pot spiced chickpeas and mushrooms is a vegetarian slam-dunk
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 500g button mushrooms, sliced 5mm thick; ½ tsp cooking salt; ¼ tsp black pepper

Mellow spices and fresh herbs add spark to this quick and inexpensive dish, which is served with warm flatbreads for dunking and scooping.

Nagi Maehashi

August 21, 2024

Riffing on an Iraqi breakfast dish, this stew is fragrant with warm spices.Rob Palmer; STYLING: Emma Knowles

easyTime:30 mins - 1 hourServes:4

Taking inspiration from the warm spices used in makhlama, a traditional Iraqi breakfast dish made with mince and eggs, I’ve come up with this richly flavoured vegetarian stew, served with warm flatbreads for dunking and scooping.

It combines firm, nutty chickpeas and juicy mushrooms, and while the ingredients are economical and straightforward, it’s ridiculously delicious. I hope you love it as much as I do.

SOS checklist

Fewer than 12 ingredients (excluding oil, salt, pepper and water) ✓
Less than $20 for 4 servings ✓
Less than 30 minutes’ active prep and cook time ✓

Ingredients

Mushrooms

2 tbsp olive oil
500g button mushrooms, sliced 5mm thick
½ tsp cooking salt
¼ tsp black pepper

Stew

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 tbsp baharat powder – see note
2 tsp cumin powder
½ tsp coriander powder
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 x 400g can chickpeas, drained
1 x 400g can crushed tomato
1½ cups salt-reduced vegetable stock
½ tsp cooking salt
¼ cup roughly chopped parsley
extra virgin olive oil to serve
warm flatbreads to serve

Method

Step 1
To cook the mushrooms, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large, deep pan over high heat. Add half the mushrooms and half the salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes until the mushrooms are lightly golden. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and place in a bowl. Add another tablespoon of oil and cook the remaining mushrooms, salt and pepper. Add to the bowl and set aside.
Step 2
To cook the stew, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in the same pan. Cook the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent. Return the mushrooms to the pan and add the spices. Stir for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the chickpeas, tomato, stock, and salt. Simmer on medium-low without a lid for 15 minutes until thickened. Stir through most of the parsley. Taste and add more salt if desired.
Step 3
Divide the stew among four bowls, drizzle on some extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with the remaining chopped parsley. Serve with warm flatbreads.

Notes

Baharat is a spice mix used in Middle Eastern cooking. The spices include cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, paprika and cumin, which create an unmistakably Arabic aroma. Find it in the supermarket herb and spice aisle, though if you can buy one from a Middle Eastern grocer, you can almost guarantee it will be fresher and better.