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Grilled Eggplant Salad

A veggie salad that is refreshing, simple and delicious. Chargrilled eggplant slices, with a tahini yogurt sauce, fresh herbs, quinoa and burnt garlic chili butter. The perfect side for any meal that is easy but packed with flavor.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Assemble Time 5 minutes
Course Brunch, Iftar, Lunch, Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Middle Eastern
Servings 4 people

Equipment

  • Grilling pan
  • Sauté pan
  • Tongs
  • Microplane grater/fine grater (for garlic)
  • Platter
  • Chopping board & knife

Ingredients
  

  • 1 large eggplant
  • Salt & pepper
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 cup snack peppers sliced
  • 1 red chili deseeded and sliced
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup quinoa cooked
  • 2 tbsp walnuts

Yogurt sauce

  • 1/4 cup yogurt
  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 garlic minced

Garlic chili butter

  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1/2 tsp chili flakes

Instructions
 

Grill the eggplant:

  • We start by slicing out eggplant into 2 cm thick slices. Season the slices with salt, pepper, olive oil and dried oregano. Grill the slices over a grilling pan on medium heat until charred on each side.
  • Don’t over crowd the pan - you might need to do this in batches depending on how large your pan is. Should take 1-2 minutes on each side.
  • Transfer to a plate and repeat until all the slices are charred.

Toast nuts:

  • While you are doing this, you can toast the nuts simultaneously.

Garlic chili butter:

  • To make the garlic chili butter we add butter into a small sauté pan on low heat. Add the minced garlic and chili flakes into the butter. Let it heat up and start bubbling.
  • The butter will start to brown and the garlic will get golden. You will begin to smell it.
  • Take it off the heat and pour into a small glass. If you leave it in the pan it will continue to cook and eventually burn.

Assemble:

  • In a large platter, spoon the yogurt and spread. Drizzle over the tahini add the lemon juice around the plate. Mince the garlic over the plate and using a knife swirl it all together.
  • Add the slices of grilled eggplant over the sauce and spoon over the cooked quinoa.
  • Add the fresh parsley, sliced peppers and chilies. Sprinkle over the toasted nuts and spoon over the garlic chili butter.
  • This is a warm salad hence you want to serve it immediately.

Notes

  • Check the write up above on make ahead tips.
  • You can use cooked couscous or brown rice in place of the quinoa.