Moroccan Sweet Potato Stew

chia's Note:

this is a great vegetarian side dish.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 50 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 10

• 1 large onion , chopped into 1/2 inch dice
• 3 garlic cloves , minced
• 1 ½ teaspoons turmeric
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¾ teaspoon curry powder
• ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¾ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 3 -4 sweet potatoes , peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes (3 1/2 pounds)
• 1 large red bell pepper , seeded and chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 1 eggplant , peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes
• ¾ cup vegetable broth or ¾ cup chicken broth
• 2 cups canned chickpeas , also known as garbanzo beans, drained
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes , undrained
• chopped fresh cilantro leaves (to garnish)

Directions:

1. Place the onions and garlic into a large pot with 1/4 cup water. Cook, covered, over low heat until tender, about 10 to 12 minutes, adding more water as necessary to prevent scorching.
2. Stir in the turmeric, cinnamon, curry, cumin, nutmeg, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the sweet potatoes, bell pepper, eggplant and broth. Raise the heat to medium and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes.
3. Add garbanzo beans and tomatoes, and simmer, covered, until sweet potatoes are tender, about 45 to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally. Garnish with fresh cilantro before serving.

Reviews

[scorpiofood]

Loved this-- was out of cumin and substituted chili powder which worked well-- still a nice balance of spicy and sweet. I chopped the eggplant and sweet potatoes into larger pieces. Also used veggie stock rather than water.

[Chef #1551568]

Excellent recipe. Next time I make it, I would make three modifications: 1. Omit curry. The mix of spices is complex and interesting as it is without a curry, which is a mix of spices itself. 2. I would cut the sweet potatoes and eggplant into larger chunks than the red pepper. More sweet potatoes can be added. 3. Stock can be substituted with water. This stew is great served hot over bed of rice or couscous. It would be a delicious side dish to grilled halibut or other firm-flesh fish.

[Geema]

The spices in this dish were nicely balanced and blended in perfectly with the vegetables. I served this dish with couscous and topped with raisins and cashews. My DH and I both cleaned our plates, but both thought the vegetables tasted "watery". I recommend using only 1 can of tomatoes, or leaving them out all together, relying on the broth for cooking. You always post great curry recipes, Chia.