Salatet raheb

Ingredients

The aubergines

• 3large aubergines
• about 1.2 kg
• pierced before roasting

The salad

• 3tomatoes, diced
• 1onion, finely chopped
• or spring onions
• a large bunch parsley
• chopped
• 2garlic cloves, crushed
• optional

The dressing

• 5 tablespoonsolive oil
• juice of 2 lemons
• salt and black pepper

Sometimes added

• chopped green pepper
• pomegranate seeds
• a little dried mint
• chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Steam builds inside the sealed skin. That throws scalding hot pulp. Pierce it several times before roasting. Make five or six holes right through. The pulp is extremely hot inside. Use tongs rather than your bare hands.
2. Keep loose sleeves well away from it. Never leave the flame unattended. Keep children out of the kitchen. It must collapse entirely when cooked. Put the flesh in a sieve to drain. Give it twenty minutes at least. Press it gently to help it along. Discard it rather than keeping it.
3. Pierce each aubergine several times. Make five or six holes right through. Set the aubergines directly on the flame. Turn them as each side blackens.
4. Use tongs to move them all about. The skin should char right through. Turn them over every few minutes. Judging them takes a careful check. Let the aubergines cool a little. They are extremely hot inside. Use a cloth if it is still too hot. Scoop it out with a large spoon.
5. Discard the blackened skin entirely. Leave any stubborn flesh behind. Put the flesh in a sieve to drain. Give it at least twenty minutes. Press it gently with a large spoon.
6. Discard all of that drained liquid. Chop the drained flesh coarsely. Chop it rather than mashing it. It should stay in visible pieces. Use a large sharp knife for it. Chop it on a board with the tomatoes. Dice the tomatoes small and even. Deseed them if they are very wet.
7. Scoop them out with a small spoon. Chop the onion very finely indeed. Chop it as fine as you possibly can. Rinse the chopped onion in cold water.
8. Drain and dry it thoroughly after. Spring onion needs none of that. Wash and dry the parsley thoroughly. Wet parsley waters down the salad. Chop all of the parsley finely. Use a very sharp knife for it. Chop it cleanly in one single pass. Chop them finer than the leaves. Discard only the thick woody ones. Put the aubergine into a large bowl. Add the tomato, onion and parsley.
9. Fold them all together gently. Do not stir it hard at any point. Keep all of the pieces distinct. Whisk the oil with the lemon juice. Pour it over the whole of the salad. It should be sharp and quite lemony. Taste it and adjust from there.
10. Crush the garlic and stir it through. Some versions use it and some do not. Use it sparingly if you do use it. One or two cloves is quite enough. Taste it and then season it well. Aubergine takes a lot of salt. Season it more than seems right. Taste it again after the resting.
11. Let it stand for twenty minutes. The aubergine takes up the lemon. Add extra parsley just before serving. Turn it out into a flat wide dish. Spread it out in a shallow layer. Scatter fresh parsley over the top. The oil also thickens when cold. Take it out well ahead of serving. It keeps two days refrigerated.

Technique

• Pierce each aubergine five or six times right through before it goes near the flame: steam builds inside the sealed skin and it bursts violently, throwing scalding pulp that sticks to skin as it burns. Piercing prevents that entirely. Use tongs rather than bare hands, keep loose sleeves away, never leave the flame unattended and keep children out of the kitchen.
• The aubergine must collapse completely when pressed, since undercooked aubergine is bitter and spongy — a firm one is still raw inside and needs longer. Then drain the scooped flesh in a sieve for at least twenty minutes, pressing gently: a surprising amount of faintly bitter liquid runs out, and removing it stops the salad going soggy and genuinely improves it.
• Roast directly over flame rather than in an oven, which gives no smoke flavour at all — that smokiness is what defines the dish.

Substitutions

• Chopped green pepper, pomegranate seeds, dried mint and chopped walnuts are all used; walnuts would need declaring, since tree nut allergy can be severe.
• Spring onions stand in for chopped onion and need no rinsing; ordinary onion is strong here, so chop it very fine and rinse it in cold water to mellow it, drained and dried after.

Variations

• Chop the drained flesh coarsely rather than mashing it, keeping visible pieces — a smooth paste is a different dish. Baba ghanoush starts from the same charred aubergine but is blended smooth with tahini; these two go in opposite directions and are genuinely different.
• Use flat leaf parsley very generously, a whole large bunch, since it is a salad ingredient here rather than a garnish; chop it with a very sharp knife in one clean pass, since a blunt blade bruises the leaves and bruised parsley goes dark and bitter.
• Rest it twenty minutes but not much longer, since the parsley wilts and darkens in the acid; add fresh parsley just before serving. Serve at room temperature, since chilling dulls the flavour and thickens the oil.
• Raheb means monk and this is a lenten dish from Lebanon’s Christian villages, built for a fast that excludes dairy, eggs and meat — the dish is entirely plant based, and that is not incidental.

History

Its name means monk’s salad, a lenten dish from Lebanon’s Christian villages using no dairy.

Frequently asked questions

What is Salatet raheb?

Salatet raheb is a salad & side from Lebanon: charred aubergine chopped with tomato, onion, parsley, lemon and olive oil. Its name means monk’s salad, a lenten dish from Lebanon’s Christian villages using no dairy.

How long does Salatet raheb take to make?

Salatet raheb takes 30 minutes of preparation and 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Salatet raheb?

Yes, within limits. Chopped green pepper, pomegranate seeds, dried mint and chopped walnuts are all used; walnuts would need declaring, since tree nut allergy can be severe. Spring onions stand in for chopped onion and need no rinsing; ordinary onion is strong here, so chop it very fine and rinse it in cold water to mellow it, drained and dried after.

What is the most important thing to get right in Salatet raheb?

Steam builds inside the sealed skin. That throws scalding hot pulp. Pierce it several times before roasting. Make five or six holes right through. The pulp is extremely hot inside. Use tongs rather than your bare hands.