- 1 onion
- 500g sweet potatoes
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 lemon
- 400g tin of chickpeas
- 2 tsp ras al hanut
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 400g tinned cherry tomatoes
- ½ pomegranate
- A handful of mint, leaves only
- 2 tsp olive oil
- Sea salt
- 400ml warm water
- Medium pan with a lid
- Vegetable peeler
- Baking tray (optional)
- 1.
Peel and finely chop the onion. Set a medium pan over a medium heat for 1 min, then add 2 tsp oil and the onion. Season with a pinch of salt and fry for 5 mins, stirring now and then, till the onion looks glossy and has picked up a little colour.
- 2.
While the onion cooks, peel and chop the sweet potatoes into chunks around 1cm across. Stir the sweet potatoes into the onions, pop a lid on the pan (or use a baking tray if you don’t have a lid) and continue cooking for 3 mins.
- 3.
Peel and crush or grate the garlic. Quarter the lemon. Drain the chickpeas and rinse them under cold water.
- 4.
Stir the garlic into the veg with 2 tsp ras al hanut, 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp ground cumin. Cook and stir for 1 min.
- 5.
Tip in the chickpeas. Pour in the tin of cherry tomatoes. Fill the tin with warm water (around 400ml) and swirl that into the pan. Squeeze the lemon wedges over the pan to add the juice. Stir everything together, then pop the lid back on the pan and simmer for 15 mins.
- 6.
While the tagine simmers, cut the pomegranate in half. Hold 1 pomegranate half in the palm of your hand, cut-side down, and whack it with a wooden spoon. The seeds should fall through your fingers. Catch them in a bowl. If they don’t fall out, pull the pomegranate half open and pick out the seeds.
- 7.
Pluck the leaves off the mint sprigs and finely slice them. Taste the tagine and add a pinch more salt if you think it needs it. The sweet potatoes should be tender.
- 8.
Spoon the tagine into a couple of warm bowls. Top with the pomegranate seeds and sliced mint leaves and serve.
- Tip
Edible jewels
Your leftover pomegranate half will keep, wrapped, in the fridge for a couple of days. Scatter the seeds into salads, over tagines like this one, or stir them into thick Greek yogurt with a pinch of dried mint, a pinch of salt and a splash of olive to make a dip for dunking toasted pitta bread into