Zaalouk — Moroccan Aubergine Salad
Moroccan cooked salad of aubergine and tomato, melted down with garlic, cumin and paprika and eaten warm with bread.
Method
- Peel the aubergines in stripes, leaving some skin for texture, then cut into 3cm cubes. Sprinkle with salt and leave in a colander for 15 minutes to draw out moisture, then pat dry.
- Heat the olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the aubergine and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, turning occasionally, until softened and lightly golden at the edges.
- Add the garlic, cumin, paprika and chilli flakes and stir for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the tomatoes and a splash of water, cover and cook over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until everything has collapsed.
- Uncover and mash the mixture coarsely with a fork or the back of a wooden spoon. Zaalouk is rustic; it should not be a smooth purée.
- Cook uncovered for a further 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the liquid has evaporated and the oil separates at the edges of the pan.
- Stir in the coriander, parsley and lemon juice, and season with salt.
- Serve warm or at room temperature with plenty of bread, as part of a spread of small salads.
How to make Zaalouk — Moroccan Aubergine Salad
Zaalouk belongs to the family of cooked Moroccan salads served in small dishes at the start of a meal, alongside taktouka, carrot salad and olives. Aubergine and tomato are cooked until they lose their separate identities and become a single soft, smoky, garlicky spread.
Cook out the water
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The most common mistake is stopping too early. Zaalouk should be thick enough to scoop with bread without sliding off it, which means cooking until the liquid has gone and the olive oil shines at the edges. That final stage also concentrates the flavour considerably.
Texture matters
Mash with a fork or spoon, not a blender. The appeal is in the uneven texture, with recognisable pieces of aubergine among the softer tomato.
Spicing
Cumin and paprika are standard, chilli is optional and often omitted. Some cooks add a pinch of ras el hanout, others a little preserved lemon chopped very fine at the end.
Serving and keeping
Zaalouk is better at room temperature than hot from the pan, and better still the next day once the garlic has mellowed. It keeps for four days refrigerated under a film of olive oil.
Traditional Moroccan cookery; zaalouk is one of the small salads served at the start of a meal. Editorially researched from widely documented preparations, and not kitchen-tested by Axadle.
Naturally free from gluten, dairy, egg and nuts.
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