Description
A vibrant and smoky dish featuring chipotle-spiced chickpeas and tender aubergine served atop crispy wholemeal pitta triangles, complemented by a creamy, tangy tahini lime sauce. Perfect as a flavorful appetizer or light meal with a fresh, zesty finish.
Ingredients
Scale
Pittas
- 4 wholemeal pittas, cut into triangles
Tahini Lime Sauce
- 150g light crème fraîche
- 3 tbsp tahini
- 2 limes, zested and juiced, plus extra zest and wedges to serve
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 50ml water (to loosen the sauce)
Vegetable and Chickpea Topping
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 small aubergines, finely sliced
- 400g chickpeas, drained
- 1 tbsp chipotle paste
- ½ small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped, plus extra to serve
Instructions
- Toast the pittas: Preheat your oven to 200°C (fan 180°C)/gas mark 6. Arrange the wholemeal pitta triangles in a single layer on a baking tray and toast for 10 minutes until crisp and golden.
- Cook the aubergine and onion: While the pittas are toasting, heat the rapeseed oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the finely chopped onion and sliced aubergines and cook for around 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until they are softened and lightly browned.
- Add chickpeas and chipotle paste: Stir in the drained chickpeas and chipotle paste with the aubergine and onion mixture. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and the mixture to heat through.
- Finish the topping: Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the roughly chopped coriander. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Prepare the tahini lime sauce: In a bowl, whisk together the light crème fraîche, tahini, lime zest and juice, crushed garlic, and 50ml of water until smooth and slightly loosened for easy drizzling.
- Assemble and serve: Spread the tahini lime sauce generously over the toasted pitta triangles. Spoon the chipotle aubergine and chickpea topping over the top. Garnish with extra coriander leaves, additional lime zest, and lime wedges for squeezing over before eating.
Notes
- You can adjust the amount of chipotle paste to control the spice level according to your preference.
- For a vegan version, substitute the light crème fraîche with a plant-based yogurt or cashew cream.
- Wholemeal pittas add a lovely nutty flavor and more fiber; however, regular pittas can be used if preferred.
- This dish is great served warm or at room temperature, making it ideal for entertaining.
- Leftovers can be stored separately (topping and pittas) to maintain crispness and reheated gently.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Mexican-inspired
Keywords: chipotle chickpeas, aubergine, pitta, tahini lime sauce, vegetarian, smoky, appetizer, snack
