Zaalouk

Ingredients

Aubergine

• 2large aubergines, about 800 g

Tomato

• 600 gripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped

Seasoning

• 6 clovesgarlic, crushed
• 1 tspsweet paprika
• 1 tspground cumin
• ½ tspcayenne or harissa
• 1 tspsalt

Also

• 100 mlolive oil
• juice of half a lemon
• 3 tbspchopped coriander
• 2 tbspchopped parsley

To serve

• warm or at room temperature
• with khobz, Moroccan flatbread
• as part of a spread of salads

Directions

1. Set the whole aubergines directly over a gas flame or on a barbecue and turn them with tongs. The skin should be black and papery all over, including the ends, and the flesh should collapse completely.
2. Press it: it should feel entirely soft with no firm patches, since undercooked aubergine stays bitter and rubbery. Put the charred aubergines in a bowl and cover them for ten minutes. Now peel them and put the flesh in a colander to drain for ten minutes.
3. Score a cross in each, drop them into boiling water for thirty seconds, then into cold water and slip the skins off. Peeling matters here because tomato skins curl into strips of parchment through a soft mashed salad.
4. Chop them and keep all the juice. Warm the olive oil with the crushed garlic over a medium heat, without letting the garlic colour. Add the tomatoes and cook them for fifteen minutes until they collapse and thicken.
5. Add the aubergine flesh, paprika, cumin, cayenne and salt. Cook it uncovered over a low heat for a further twenty-five to thirty minutes. Leave it uncovered so the water evaporates, since the whole process is a reduction.
6. Stir it regularly and mash it against the side of the pan with a wooden spoon as you go. Zaalouk should be mashed and coarse rather than blended smooth. Leave some texture in it, since a purée loses the character of the vegetables entirely. Do not use a blender, which turns it into baba ghanoush’s cousin rather than zaalouk.
7. Take it off the heat and stir in the lemon juice and chopped herbs. Add the lemon and herbs off the heat, since cooking dulls the acid and turns the coriander dark. Taste and adjust the salt, cumin and lemon. It should be smoky, garlicky and clearly acidic, with the cumin present but not dominant.

Technique

• Charring the aubergine over a flame gives the smoky character.
• It is mashed rather than blended, and texture is wanted.
• It is better the day after it is made.

Substitutions

• Oven-roasted aubergine, which is cleaner and less smoky.
• Good tinned tomatoes out of season.

Variations

• Taktouka, the related pepper and tomato salad.
• Made hotter, with more harissa.
• Made with the aubergine cubed rather than charred whole.

Frequently asked questions

What is Zaalouk?

Zaalouk is a salad & side from Morocco: smoky mashed eggplant and tomato salad with garlic, paprika and olive oil.

How long does Zaalouk take to make?

Zaalouk takes 20 min of preparation and 45 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings as a salad. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Zaalouk?

Yes, within limits. Oven-roasted aubergine, which is cleaner and less smoky. Good tinned tomatoes out of season.

What is the most important thing to get right in Zaalouk?

Set the whole aubergines directly over a gas flame or on a barbecue and turn them with tongs. The skin should be black and papery all over, including the ends, and the flesh should collapse completely.