Let’s face it, Arabic food takes forever to make. There are lots of steps and long cooking times, time I don’t have when I’m working full time and trying to conserve my culture simultaneously. That’s why I’ve decided to start a recipe series featuring traditional Arabic dishes, made much easier for those of us that have full time jobs and prefer to keep weekday cooking to 30 minutes or less. This is the fourth installment of the series. Don’t forget to check out previous posts in the Arabic Food Made Easy Series.

I’ve mentioned before my love for eggplant. I know for most it’s an acquired taste, but it’s a truly delicious veggie. A few months ago, I spent some time at my Tayta’s. My last night over, she asked me to come back the following night just for dinner. She was making a dish she had been craving for a while – Imnazzaleh (pronounced em-naza-lee). Well, she never got around to making it because she caught a bad case of pneumonia. I did, however, get her recipe and several weeks later I decided to try it out and bring her the dish she was craving.

Tayta’s Imnazzaleh Recipe

Ingredients

2 large Eggplants
1 can Diced Tomatoes
2 cloves Garlic (whole)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon Seven Spice
Sea Salt, to taste
Olive Oil
 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the eggplant into 1-inch cubes.
Coat the eggplant with olive oil and place on a baking dish (or two).
Bake for 40 minutes.
In a large skillet, over high heat sauté onions until translucent.
Add Eggplant, diced tomatoes, and garlic.
Add seven spice, and sea salt. Mix well.
Bring to a boil, then simmer on low for 15 minutes.
 

Serve with Arabic Bread.

Servings: 6

Nutrition Information: Cals 157. Carbs 13g. Fat 12g. Protein 2g.