Middle Eastern eggplant and chickpea salad with tomatoes and pearl barley
18 November 2017
Ingredients
- pearl barley, 1 cup (dry)
- eggplant, 2
- olive oil, 2 tbsp
- cumin seeds, 1 tsp
- caraway seeds, 1 tsp (optional)
- tomatoes, 5 (diced)
- chickpeas, 2 cans (drained and rinsed)
- parsley, 2-4 tbsp (fresh, roughly chopped)
- thyme, 6-8 sprigs (fresh leaves)
- sesame seeds, 2 tbsp (preferably toasted)
- sumac, 2 tbsp
- lemon juice, 1/4 cup (or more to taste)
- feta, 400 g (Australian is good)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C. Bring a pot of water to the boil and add pearl barley. Simmer for about 30 minutes until tender.
- Line a baking dish with foil. Chop eggplant into chunks and add to dish. Toss with olive oil, cumin and caraway seeds, and seasoning. Fold foil around or add more foil to surround eggplant. Add to oven when ready and bake for 30–40 minutes.
- Combine diced tomatoes, chickpeas, parsley, thyme, sesame seeds, sumac and lemon juice in a large bowl.
- When pearl barley is done, drain and add to bowl.
- When eggplant is done, lift the foil from the baking dish, tip contents into the bowl and combine. Season to taste. Add a bit of olive oil or extra lemon juice if desired.
- Serve warm with crumbled feta (or pop in the microwave if you like it hot). Enjoy!