Rhubarb Tagine with Chickpeas

If you are a fan of chickpeas, you will love this lip-smacking Rhubarb Tagine with Chickpeas as a main or side dish, inspired by the blog Allison’s Allspice and made in The Pocket Rhubarb Cookbook by Nina Mukerjee Furstenau. The dates and rhubarb combine unexpectedly well, with tangy, fruity results.

What is a Tagine?

A tagine is both a slow-cooked North African stew and the conical earthenware pot in which it is traditionally prepared. These flavorful stews use a rich blend of spices like cumin, turmeric, ginger, and cinnamon. While cooking, chefs will add in sweet elements such as fruits like apricots or dates, and savory components like meat (lamb, chicken, or beef), vegetables, and olives or preserved lemons. The conical lid of the tagine pot helps to trap steam, creating a moist cooking environment that tenderizes the ingredients and allows the diverse flavors to meld beautifully over time, resulting in a deeply aromatic and comforting dish. In this case, we make up a vegetarian tagine that features fresh rhubarb and satisfying chickpeas.

Rhubarb Tagine with Chickpeas

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• Author: Nina Mukerjee Furstenau

Print Recipe

Description

A warming bowl full of rhubarb, aromatic spices, and nutritious chickpeas.

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Ingredients

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• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 1 cinnamon stick
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 (14-oz) can diced tomatoes
• 2 (14-oz) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• Optional: soak 1 cup dried beans overnight and simmer for 30 minutes
• ¼ cup chopped dates
• 1 ½ cups chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb
• 1 ½ cups vegetable broth
• Black pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp honey or dark brown sugar
• ½ cup minced fresh parsley, for garnish

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Instructions

1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil on high heat. Add the onion, turn the heat to low, and sauté for about 8 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.
2. Add garlic, ginger, cinnamon stick, cumin seeds, and cayenne and stir for 1 minute.
3. Add the tomatoes, and continue to cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add the chickpeas, dates, rhubarb, broth, and black pepper. Let this simmer on low heat for 15 minutes with the lid off or until the liquid cooks down by ¾.
5. Stir in the honey or dark brown sugar. Garnish with parsley. Serve with couscous or with a toasted baguette.

Notes

• You can substitute 14 oz tofu for the chickpeas.

Recipe Excerpted from The Pocket Rhubarb Cookbook by Nina Mukerjee Furstenau (Belt Publishing, © 2025) 
Styling by Keith Recker
Photography by Dave Bryce

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