Rummaniyya is Gaza in a bowl: lentils and eggplant simmered until silky, then sharpened with pomegranate — the dish takes its name from rumman, the pomegranate itself. It is sour where the rest of the Levant might go rich, dill-seeded and garlicky, finished with a pool of good olive oil.

Traditionally it appears in early autumn, when pomegranates come into season, and it is eaten at room temperature with raw onion and bread. It happens to be entirely vegan — not as a concession, but because that is simply what it is.

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown lentils, rinsed
• 1 large eggplant, cut into small cubes
• 1 cup pomegranate juice (or 3 tablespoons pomegranate molasses)
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon dill seeds, lightly crushed
• 1 green chile, minced (optional but very Gazan)
• 3 tablespoons flour, toasted lightly in a dry pan
• Salt, to taste
• Extra-virgin olive oil and pomegranate seeds, to finish

Instructions

1. Simmer the lentils in 4 cups of water until half-tender, about 15 minutes.
2. Add the eggplant and continue simmering until both are completely soft, another 20 minutes.
3. Stir in the pomegranate juice, garlic, dill seeds, chile, and salt.
4. Whisk the toasted flour with a ladleful of the cooking liquid, then stir it back in to thicken. Simmer gently 10 minutes more, stirring so it does not catch.
5. Taste — it should be distinctly sour; add more pomegranate if it is shy.
6. Serve warm or at room temperature, flooded with olive oil and scattered with pomegranate seeds.