Grilled (Or Oven Roasted) Japanese Eggplant Salad

20m
Prep Time
20m
Cook Time
40m
Ready In


"Given in this recipe is a great combination of flavors that punch out the natural eggplant flavor. The eggplant can either be roasted until very dark or charred over a charcoal grill. Either way the eggplant will impart a deep, dark, smoky flavor with lots of umami."

Original is 4 servings

Nutritional

  • Serving Size: 1 (192 g)
  • Calories 117.2
  • Total Fat - 7.3 g
  • Saturated Fat - 1.1 g
  • Cholesterol - 0 mg
  • Sodium - 24.3 mg
  • Total Carbohydrate - 14.6 g
  • Dietary Fiber - 5.5 g
  • Sugars - 6.1 g
  • Protein - 2.2 g
  • Calcium - 53.8 mg
  • Iron - 1.6 mg
  • Vitamin C - 32.7 mg
  • Thiamin - 0.1 mg

Step by Step Method

Step 1

Prepare a baking sheet or tray lined with a dish cloth or paper towels. Slice the eggplant on the bias, about ¼-inch thick. Lay the pieces of eggplant on the towel-lined tray and season moderately with salt on both sides.

Step 2

Let the eggplant rest for about an hour to soak in the salt and remove excess water.

Step 3

Light a charcoal grill (or refer to Note below).

Step 4

While the eggplant resting and the fire is getting going, mince the garlic and sprinkle a little salt over it, scraping across the cutting board with your knife back and forth to form a paste.

Step 5

Combine the garlic paste with the labneh (Greek yogurt) and lemon; season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

Step 6

De-seed and slice jalapeño as thinly as possible. Pat the eggplant dry, transfer to a bowl, and toss with olive oil. Grill the eggplant as close to the flame as possible, charring it on both sides. Remove the eggplant from the grill and lay it out in a single layer on a platter, sprinkling with the za’atar seasoning while it is still warm.

Step 7

When the eggplant has cooled to room temperature, compose the rest of the dish:

Step 8

Toss the eggplant in a bowl with the yogurt dressing, coating evenly.

Step 9

Arrange the eggplant on a platter and top it with the sliced jalapeño and crushed walnuts. Finish the dish with torn herbs of your choice.

NOTE: In the event that you cannot outdoor grill, the eggplant can be roasted in the oven until very dark. Either way the eggplant will impart a deep, dark, smoky flavor with lots of umami.


Tips


No special items needed.

3 Reviews

JostLori

TEN stars! The yogurt & za'atar sauce was to die for! And on top of grilled eggplant - I've gone to heaven! For the green herbs, I used chopped fresh cilantro and Italian parsley because my basil had pests. Can't wait to try this again with different herbs - this will definitely be on our table often! Made for FF&F Best of 2017 and is now on my Best of 2018 list!

5.0

review by:
(19 Feb 2018)

Mia in Germany

OMG this was good! I love this kind of eggplant dish anyway, this is exactly my route of having it. Thanks for posting, I'll make it again and again. Made for Best of 2017

5.0

review by:
(12 Feb 2018)

artandkitchen

I always loved grilled eggplants and this version is real delish! I appreciated very much the combination with the yogurt sauce and the addition of zaatar spices! I did not toss the eggplants with the yogurt sauce, but I spread some yogurt sauce over each grilled eggplant sheet. For the chili I opted to sprinkle some Turkish chili flakes over the eggplants. For the green herbs I used some sliced African basil leaves. I highly recommend this recipe and I hope you will get a lot of great reviews!

5.0

review by:
(6 Mar 2017)

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