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Spicy aubergine, tomato and garlic zaalouk salad

A recipe for a spicy salad from Jeff Koehler's The North African Cookbook
SIMON BAJADA

In his book, The North African Cookbook, the American cook and writer Jeff Koehler explores the rich culinary culture of the Maghreb, a region that spans Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. These recipes reflect the diversity of the cuisine, drawing on Berber, Arab and Ottoman influences, as well as French, Spanish and Italian – from fish tagine to orange blossom and cinnamon scented flan.

This is a Moroccan classic. Served warm, cold or at room temperature, it is ideal as part of a spread of salads and pairs nicely with grilled meat or fish. This recipe has a slightly less spicy bite than many versions, especially those from the south.

This is an edited extract from ‘The North African Cookbook’ by Jeff Koehler (Phaidon, £39.95)\

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Ingredients

Serves 4

2 aubergines (about 800g)
5tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, halved crosswise and grated, skin discarded
1 heaped tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 heaped tbsp finely chopped coriander
1tsp sweet paprika
1tsp ground cumin
Cayenne pepper, to taste

To serve

Bread, ideally flatbread
  1. Method

    Step 1

    Using a vegetable peeler or knife, peel the aubergine skin away lengthwise in strips, leaving about a third of the skin on the flesh. Cut into 1.5-2cm-square cubes.

    Step 2

    Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the aubergines, cover with a lid and cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes, or until soft.

    Step 3

    Stir in the garlic, then add the tomatoes, herbs and spices, and season to taste with salt and pepper and cayenne – this will depend on the potency of the cayenne and on how much heat you like.

    Step 4

    Cover with a lid, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring and mashing it down using a potato masher or a wooden spoon until it has a paste-like consistency, the tomatoes have reduced and the flavours have combined. This should take around 20 minutes. Add about 2tbsp water if needed.

    Step 5

    Transfer from the pan to a serving bowl and serve warm or at room temperature, with the bread on the side.