Zaalouk — Smoky Eggplant Salad
A Moroccan cooked salad of charred eggplant and tomatoes with garlic, cumin, and paprika, served at room temperature with crusty bread.
🛒 Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants
- 4 ripe tomatoes, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
- crusty bread to serve
👨🍳 Method
- 1
Char eggplants directly over a flame or under a broiler, turning until blackened all over.
- 2
Let cool, then peel and roughly chop the flesh.
- 3
Heat olive oil in a pan. Sauté garlic and spices until fragrant.
- 4
Add tomatoes and cook down 15 minutes until thick.
- 5
Add eggplant and mash roughly with a fork into the sauce.
- 6
Cook 10 more minutes, stirring, until very thick.
- 7
Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice and cilantro.
- 8
Serve warm or at room temperature.
💡 Chef's Tips
- →Char the eggplant thoroughly — it is this smoke that flavors the whole dish.
- →Cook until the mixture holds its shape when a spoon is drawn across — it should not be watery.
- →This keeps for 3 days in the fridge and improves with time.
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Harira — Moroccan Tomato Lentil Soup
The comforting soup that breaks the Ramadan fast: chickpeas, lentils, tender lamb, and tomatoes in a spiced, silky broth thickened with flour and finished with lemon.