Salads made from fire roasted eggplant go by many names - baba ganoush, mutabal, abagannuc, melitzanosalata. The ingredients may vary slightly from culture to culture but what they all have in common is the wonderful, slightly smokey flavor of eggplant roasted over an open flame.
In Israel there are many types of salat hatzilim - some spicy, some with tomatoes, some even with mayonnaise. I like them all but this is one of my favorites.
BT's Salat Hatzilim Al Ha Aish
Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant
1/8 teaspoon whole coriander
1/8 teaspoon celery seed
1/8 teaspoon anise seed
2 tablespoons tahina paste
1/3 cup (80 ml) water
1/4 red or green chili - very finely diced
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon olive oil
Directions:
Toast coriander, celery and anise in cast iron pan over high heat - approximately 90 seconds
Grind spices and reserve
Wash eggplant thoroughly
Place eggplant directly over open flame on stove or grill
Rotate the eggplant until all areas are charred and skin begins to crack
Place roasted eggplant in a bowl for 5 minutes to finish cooking
Cut eggplant in half and scoop out flesh
Massage eggplant with a fork or by hand until the fibers are broken down
In a separate bowl mix tahina paste, garlic and water until smooth
Add tahina to eggplant
Add chili
Add cilantro
Mix
Add lemon juice and salt
Place in serving bowl and dress with olive oil
Enjoy! !בתיאבון
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