Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you go
Serves 2
- 2 medium eggplants (aubergines)
For the tahini sauce
- 3/4 glass (150 ml / ⅔ cup) cold water
- 3/4 glass (150 ml / ⅔ cup) pure tahini (sesame paste)
- Juice of 1/2 lemon (about half a glass)
- 1 clove garlic
For the topping
- 1 tomato, peeled and diced
- Salt, pepper
- 1 small bunch fresh cilantro (coriander), roughly chopped
- Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F) fan/convection + broil (grill). If you happen to have a “Large-surface grill” setting you’ve never used, now’s the time to break it in: it will char the skin nicely and get you a result closer to cooking over a flame.
- Rinse the eggplants and place them whole on a baking sheet. Broil for about 30 to 45 minutes, until the skin has blackened and the eggplants are very tender. Turn them once during cooking if needed.
- Meanwhile, make the tahini sauce: mix the tahini paste, cold water, lemon juice, salt and garlic.
- Let the eggplants cool, then gently peel off the skin, keeping the flesh as intact as possible. Set them in a colander to drain off as much liquid as possible.
- On a serving platter, spread a little tahini, then lay out the whole eggplants, flattening them slightly. Add the diced tomato, a drizzle of olive oil, pour tahini over the top in zigzags and scatter with cilantro.
These eggplants are best enjoyed warm or cold, with a good pita (or toasted bread!).
Tips and variations
If you have a gas stove or a barbecue, you can cook the eggplants directly over the flame until the skin is well blackened on all sides and cracks; you’ll get a more pronounced smoky flavor.
These eggplants also make a delicious side for fish.
If you don’t like cilantro, you can swap in parsley.
In season, and for Rosh Hashanah, replace the diced tomato with pomegranate seeds. It’s excellent.