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Fried eggplant salad with sesame dressing

Adam Liaw
Adam Liaw

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Fried eggplant and cucumber salad with sesame dressing.
Fried eggplant and cucumber salad with sesame dressing.William Meppem

I love this salad's simplicity, but if you want to bulk it up think cherry tomatoes, olives, mint, walnuts, pomegranate seeds, pita bread, fried chickpeas … anything you like.

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Ingredients

  • 2 medium eggplants

  • ¼ cup olive oil

  • salt, to season

  • 1 large brown onion, sliced

  • 2 Lebanese cucumbers, peeled and sliced into half-moons on the diagonal

  • ¼ cup loosely packed parsley leaves (optional)

  • 300g baby salad leaves

  • ¼ cup crumbled feta

Sesame dressing

  • 2 tbsp olive oil

  • 2 tbsp tahini

  • 2 tbsp thick plain yoghurt

  • 1 tbsp mayonnaise

  • 1 tbsp lemon juice

  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar

  • ¼ tsp salt

  • ½ tsp honey

Method

  1. 1.Halve the eggplants lengthways and cut into ½ cm slices on the diagonal. Heat a large frying pan over high heat and add olive oil (see tip). Fry the eggplant in batches, seasoning with salt and removing from the pan when both sides are a deep golden brown. Add more oil if needed and fry the onion until golden brown. 

    2. For the dressing, combine the ingredients and stir to combine. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Toss the fried eggplant and onion with the cucumber, parsley (if using) and baby salad leaves, then add enough of the dressing to coat the leaves. Transfer to a serving plate and scatter with the feta. 

    Adam's tip Eggplant will absorb oil as it starts to cook, but will release a lot of it back into the pan as cooking continues. So don't be tempted to add too much oil. And no, you don't need to salt eggplant beforehand.

    Also try: Adam Liaw's honey-baked ricotta with roasted red grapes

    Find more of Adam Liaw's recipes in the Good Food Favourite Recipes cookbook.

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Adam LiawAdam Liaw is a cookbook author and food writer, co-host of Good Food Kitchen and former MasterChef winner.

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