We are all aware of the extraordinary movie “Ratatouille”, and Remy’s amazing, nostalgic dish “Ratatouille“. The dish is an unbelievable mix of simplicity, fineness and a touch of fanciness. Having it once will leave you craving more and your tastebuds in an explosion of flavours.
So here is my take on this wonderful recipe but with a twist of our Indian palate and spices while keeping it as simple and delicious as possible.
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Cooked Chickpeas
- 1+3/4 Cup Tomato Puree
- 1+1/2 Tablespoon Maple Syrup (to balance the acidity of the tomatoes)
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1/4 Teaspoon Chill Flakes/Pepper (Optional)
- 1 Teaspoon Salt or to taste
Vegetables & other ingredients:
- 4 to 5 Medium YELLOW POTATOES – Peeled and cut into thin slices
- 2 to 3 Zucchini – Tips chopped off & cut into thin slices
- 2 Medium Tomatoes (thin slices)
- 1 Medium Onion OR 2 small onions – cut into thin slices
- 1+1/2 Tablespoon Garlic – Finely chopped
- 1 Teaspoon Dry Oregano
- 1 Teaspoon Dry Thyme
- 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 3 to 4 Tablespoon Olive Oil Salt to taste
Garnish:
- 2 tablespoons parsley – finely chopped
- 1/2 cup Fresh Basil
- Olive oil
- Ground black pepper to taste
Method
- Start by prepping the vegetables.
- Thoroughly wash the vegetables. Peel and slice them.
- TRANSFER ONLY THE SLICES POTATO AND ZUCCHINI INTO A MIXING BOWL and set aside. DO NOT MIX THE TOMATOES AND ONIONS SLICES WITH the zucchini and potatoes. Keep it separate.
- Drain the 2 cups of home-cooked chickpeas and add to a baking dish.
- Add the tomato puree, maple syrup, ground cumin, salt, and chilli flakes/pepper. Mix thoroughly until spices are well combined.
- Back to the mixing bowl with the zucchini and potato slices – add finely chopped garlic, dry oregano, thyme, ground black pepper, salt, and olive oil and mix well until nicely coated with the herbs and oil.
- PRE-HEAT THE OVEN TO 200 C. Arrange the potato, zucchini, tomato and onion slices as shown in the image and lay them on top of the chickpea tomato layer. There may be a lot of liquid from the zucchini collected at the bottom of the bowl. DO NOT THROW IT. POUR IT EVENLY OVER THE LAYERED VEGETABLES.
- Bake for 20 minutes at 200 C in a preheated oven. Bake it for 15 to 20 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked.
{👉 To check if the potatoes are cooked, stick a knife or a fork through one of the potato slices. If not cooked bake for longer or until the vegetables are golden brown on top}
- Remove from oven and let it sit. Garnish with chopped parsley, fresh basil & black pepper. Serve hot with a side of crusty buttered garlic bread 🙂
