A Palestinian recipe for pomegranate, lentil and aubergine stew | ... https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/feb/02/rummaniy...

A Palestinian recipe for pomegranate, lentil

and aubergine stew
Pomegranate is cherished in Palestine. Here its used to divine effect in a traditional stew
of brown lentils and melting silken aubergines, laced with garlic, olive oil and lemon
juice

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Rummaniyeh and soft, chewy taboon atbreads. Photograph: Elena Heatherwick for the Guardian

Joudie Kalla
Thursday 2 February 2017 12.00GMT

Rummaniyeh was a staple dish in both of my grandmothers kitchens. Rumman means

pomegranate, so this dish literally means pomegranatey and aptly so. The recipe
uses the fruits molasses as well as its seeds, which bodes well for a tangy stew with
lentils and aubergine.

Pomegranates are integral to Palestinian eating, and are regarded across the Middle East
as a symbol of abundance and prosperity. Each pomegranate fruit is said to have an extra
seed that comes directly from paradise, so it is a cherished fruit. Street hawkers squeeze
fresh juice from them; a uorescent crimson cupful to sip on the y.

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A Palestinian recipe for pomegranate, lentil and aubergine stew | ... https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/feb/02/rummaniy...

Cheap, easy and a riot of avour, rummaniyeh is very popular in the Palestinian
community. Brown lentils are gently simmered with peeled aubergines, which melt
slowly into the mix as it simmers. Fried garlic, lemon juice, the pomegranate molasses
and generous lashings of strong olive oil are added, transforming both the pulse and the
vegetable. My paternal grandmother, Huda, succeeded in her campaign to get my father
eating aubergine with rummaniyeh. Silken and at one with the rest of the dish, the
aubergine takes on a new character, which my dad couldnt resist. Nowadays, hes an
aubergine devotee and eats them in almost any form.

Rummaniyeh is made mainly in the coastal town of Jaa, where my grandmother Najla
was from. When the Palestinians were displaced from Jaa and Lydda, they went to
Gaza and brought their recipes with them. Rummaniyeh is one such recipe, and is now
very popular in Gaza, too.

In the northern areas, such as Safed and Galilee, you will nd heartier, heavier foods,
such as kibbeh, a cracked wheat and meat dish. In the West Bank youll nd more bready
dishes baked on stones, serving dishes such as musakahn (a spiced chicken and onion
dish served on atbread), as well as upside-down rice and meat dish, makloubeh, and
mujadara (lentils, rice and sauteed onions). Closer to the coastal areas, such as Gaza and
Jaa, you will nd more sh dishes, such as Sultan Ibrahim red mullet marinated and
grilled quickly, then served on a light lentil salad or sayadieh, cumin marinated sh
with caramelised onion rice and tahini sauce. Herbs, spices and chillies abound in the
coastal areas, a nod to the trade routes that ensured new avours from outside kept
being introduced. Recognising these little regional distinctions is important; as
movement around Palestine becomes more limited, we risk losing the variety of our rich
cuisine.

Todays recipe for rummaniyeh shouldnt take longer than 20 minutes surprising, given
the dishs complexity. We eat it with re-grilled bread, khubez (pitta) or taboon
(atbread). You could eat it at any time, but I especially like it for breakfast.

Rummaniyeh
Bes tenjoyed with taboon: a type of atbread traditionally baked in a taboon oven. It is
soft, slightly chewy and doesnt tear easily. In the Middle East, it is a staple, sold as street
food, stued with hummus, falafel or shaved meat.

Serves 4
250g brown lentils
1 tbsp ground cumin
600ml water
1 aubergine, peeled and cubed into small pieces
1 tbsp salt
50ml olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
46 large garlic cloves, sliced and crushed
150ml pomegranate molasses
Juice of 2 lemons
1 tbsp plain our (optional)
1 pomegranate, seeded
Flat-leaf parsley, chopped, to serve
Taboon bread or khubez, to serve

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A Palestinian recipe for pomegranate, lentil and aubergine stew | ... https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/feb/02/rummaniy...

1 Put the lentils, cumin and water in a

saucepan, bring to the boil and then
continue to boil for 10 minutes. Add the
aubergine and salt, then leave to simmer
for 25 minutes.

2 Set another pan over a medium heat.

Add the olive oil and garlic and cook for a
few minutes until they turn golden.

3 When the lentils and aubergine have

been cooking for their 25 minutes, add the
fried garlic and pomegranate molasses,
and stir. Cook for another 5 minutes, then
mix in the lemon juice and, if you like, add
the optional tbsp of our to thicken the
dish (omit this for a gluten-free version).

4 Place in a serving bowl, drizzle with a

little olive oil, scatter the pomegranate
seeds over the top and nish with some
parsley. Enjoy with hot taboon bread or
khubez.

Joudie Kalla is a food writer and author

of Palestine on a Plate (Jacqui Small, 2016)
@palestinesplate
especially like it for breakfast. Photograph: Elena Heatherwick More recipes
for the Guardian
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