A rich and aromatic Moroccan classic where tender, slow-cooked eggplant meets tomato, garlic, cumin, and paprika. Serve warm or cold with Moroccan bread or a good crusty baguette.
Ingredients
- 800 g eggplants
- 500 g ripe tomatoes
- 3 cloves garlic
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- to taste fine salt
- to taste ground black pepper
- 0.5 pieces lemon
- 10 g fresh cilantro
- 10 g flat-leaf parsley
Method
- Wash the eggplants, trim the ends, and cut them into large, even chunks; they need to cook quickly while retaining enough flesh to become tender.
- Steam the eggplants or boil them in a large pot of simmering water until the flesh mashes easily with a fork and loses its spongy texture.
- Drain the eggplants very thoroughly, then press them lightly to remove excess water; this step prevents a bland and soggy zaalouk.
- Meanwhile, blanch and peel or grate the tomatoes, then sauté them in olive oil with the crushed garlic until they begin to break down and their raw smell disappears.
- Add the paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper, and let the spices bloom in the tomato until you have a bright, fragrant red sauce.
- Stir the drained eggplants into the tomato sauce, then mash them with a spoon or potato masher to achieve a rustic texture, neither perfectly smooth nor overly chunky.
- Simmer over low heat, stirring often, until the water evaporates, the oil rises slightly to the surface, and the mixture holds its shape on a spoon.
- Off the heat, add the lemon juice, and finely chopped cilantro and parsley, then taste and adjust the seasoning to balance the sweetness, acidity, and spices.
- Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold, with a drizzle of olive oil if desired and bread for dipping.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 233.5 kcal
- Protein
- 4.43 g
- Carbohydrate
- 18.24 g
- Fat
- 16.12 g
- Fibre
- 6.51 g
- Calcium
- 38.07 mg
- Iron
- 1.92 mg
- Magnesium
- 34.34 mg
