Charred Eggplant (Aubergine) Salad with Sumac
This charred eggplant (aubergine) salad with sumac is my beautiful friend Mahi’s signature salad. The smoky soft eggplant combined with the fresh, crisp, tart, fragrant flavours of the other ingredients is incredible. The charring process is the most important step, don’t skip it by roasting or steaming the eggplant, you won’t get the beautiful smokey flavour that makes this dish so special. You can prepare the eggplant the day before to save time if needed, then toss the rest of the ingredients together when ready 🙂
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| Charred Eggplant Salad |
Sumac has to be one of my favourite spices. The sumac berry grows on a bush native to the Middle East. It is dried, ground and sprinkled over dishes with a beautiful tart flavour, slightly lemony. I grew up in a multi-cultural area and was lucky enough to have many friends from the Middle East (and many other backgrounds) which meant enjoying their cuisine! The flavour brings me back to my childhood switching from Vietnamese at home to Aussie meat pies and sausage rolls at school with after school being all over the world cuisine.
CHARRED EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE) SALAD WITH SUMAC
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 1 hour (including cooling time)
Serves: 4-6
You will need:
- 6 Japanese eggplants (aubergine – the long thin variety)
- 2 medium sized tomatoes (deseeded and diced)
- 1 small bunch of spring onions thinly sliced (about 15)
- Juice of 2 limes
- small bunch of fresh coriander
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 – 1 tsp sea salt (buy on iherb or amazon)
- pepper to taste (buy on iherb or amazon)
- 1 tsp sumac (buy on amazon)
Method:
- place the eggplants over open low flame until blackened and soft inside (it may start to break apart when you try to handle them)
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| Place eggplant over low open flame |
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| Gently rotate the eggplant using tongs to evenly blacken the eggplant |
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| Remove from flame with tongs when skin is blackened |
- allow to cool enough to handle, scoop out the soft flesh and place in a bowl and discard the blackened skin
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| Scoop out the soft flesh and discard the blackened skin |
- add the eggplant to a bowl and allow to cool further (liquids will accumulate and need to be removed later), prepare the other ingredients as below and set aside in a separate large bowl:
- deseed the tomato and dice
- finely slice spring onions
- finely chop coriander
- mince garlic
- juice lime
- remove any liquids from the cooled eggplant
- add the cooled eggplant to the salad ingredients
- drizzle with about 2 tbsp olive oil
- season with salt and pepper to taste
- sprinkle with sumac
- serve and enjoy!
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| Charred Eggplant (Aubergine) Salad with Sumac |
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| This is Mahi, my beautiful friend that knows how to cook and eat 😉 |
May xx
Love, Create, Explore and Inspire
Charred Eggplant (Aubergine) Salad with Sumac
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
- 6 Japanese eggplants (aubergine - the long thin variety)
- 2 medium sized tomatoes (deseeded and diced)
- 1 small bunch of spring onions thinly sliced (about 15)
- Juice of 2 limes
- small bunch of fresh coriander
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- extra virgin olive oil
- ½ - 1 tsp sea salt (buy on iherb or amazon)
- pepper to taste (buy on iherb or amazon)
- 1 tsp sumac (buy on amazon)
Instructions
- place the eggplants over open low flame until blackened and soft inside (it may start to break apart when you try to handle them)
- allow to cool enough to handle, scoop out the soft flesh and place in a bowl and discard the blackened skin
- add the eggplant to a bowl and allow to cool further (liquids will accumulate and need to be removed later), prepare the other ingredients as below and set aside in a separate large bowl:
- deseed the tomato and dice
- finely slice spring onions
- finely chop coriander
- mince garlic
- juice lime
- remove any liquids from the cooled eggplant
- add the cooled eggplant to the salad ingredients
- drizzle with about 2 tbsp olive oil
- season with salt and pepper to taste
- sprinkle with sumac
- serve and enjoy!
