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Grilled eggplant with tahini and yoghurt dressing

Karen Martini
Karen Martini

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Purple heart: Grilled eggplant with tahini and yoghurt dressing, pomegranate, chilli and mint.
Purple heart: Grilled eggplant with tahini and yoghurt dressing, pomegranate, chilli and mint.Marina Oliphant

Eggplants get a bit of a hard time. True, they're not particularly forgiving - an undercooked eggplant has about as much charm as a raw potato - but handled well, they are incredibly versatile and one of my favourite vegetables. This eggplant salad is great with barbecued meat or poultry, especially if there's a nice char on the flesh. It marries well with marinades or dressings with Middle Eastern flavours.

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Ingredients

  • 4 large eggplants

  • Salt flakes

  • Extra virgin olive oil

  • 2 tsp cumin seeds

  • 2 cloves garlic

  • 2 tbsp tahini

  • 300g plain yoghurt

  • 1 lemon, juiced

  • ¼ bunch mint, picked

  • 1 green chilli, sliced into rings

  • 1 red chilli, sliced into rings

  • ½ fresh pomegranate

Method

  1. Step 1

    Preheat a grill pan or barbecue.

  2. Step 2

    Cut the eggplant into 1½-2cm-thick slices lengthways, season and brush with oil. Grill for a few minutes on each side then lie flat to cool. The eggplant should be just cooked but still holding its shape.

  3. Step 3

    In a mortar and pestle, grind the cumin seeds coarsely. Add two good pinches of salt and briefly grind together. Grate the garlic on a Microplane and add to the cumin. Add the tahini, yoghurt and lemon juice, mix well.

  4. Step 4

    Lie the eggplant on a serving dish. Spoon the dressing over, then scatter over the mint, chillies and pomegranate seeds. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve.

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Karen MartiniKaren Martini is a Melbourne-based chef, restaurateur, author and television presenter. She has a regular column in Good Weekend.

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