Pan Fried Aubergine & hummus

Creamy, garlicky and packed with protein, hummus is an incredibly versatile vegan dip. For this recipe we're going to top it with panfried aubergines and paprika smoked chickpeas.

Serves - 4-6 Prep time - 10 mins cook time - 40

---

Ingredients:

For the hummus

• 2 x 400g of tinned chickpeas

• 130g of tahini

• 1 lemon juiced

• 2 garlic cloves whole

• 1 tsp of cumin

• 3 ice cubes

• 1.5 tsp of salt

For the aubergine

• 2 aubergines diced

• 3 tbsp of olive oil

For the smoked chickpeas

• 1 x 400g of tinned chickpeas

• 1 tbsp of smoked paprika

• 1 tsp of olive oil

• 1 tsp of salt

• 10g of chopped parsley

• 0.5 of a pomegranate de seeded

---

1. Start by boiling 2 of the chickpea tins in water, cumin, salt and garlic (the water should be around 2cm above the chickpeas).

2. Boil for 15 minutes, then take out and drain the chickpeas, making sure you reserve the garlic and the water.

3. Place the chickpeas in a blender along with the tahini, garlic cloves, lemon juice, salt and 2/3 tbsp of the reserved chickpea water. Blend until smooth, you may need to add more chickpea water if the mixture is a little thick.

4. Place the hummus in the fridge and onto the aubergine. Heat a griddle pan and add the olive oil, place the aubergines in the oil and lower the heat to a simmer. Cover the aubergines with a lid and cook for 20/25 minutes stirring occasionally until soft.

5. In the mean time, fry the chickpeas. Heat the oil in a separate frying pan and add the chickpeas, sprinkle over the smoked paprika and salt to coat them evenly. Cook for 5 minutes on a high heat stirring occasionally.

6. Once the aubergines are soft, take off the heat. On a flat bowl or plate, spread a generous helping of the hummus. Then top with the aubergines, smoked chickpeas, chopped parsley, a drizzle of olive oil and pomegranate seeds.