Zaaluk Salad (Moroccan Cuisine) - Recipe With Step-by-step Photos And Videos

We are preparing the Moroccan version of eggplant caviar - a fragrant and tasty salad "Zaaluk" made from eggplants and tomatoes.

Ingredients

Eggplant - 700 g

Tomatoes - 350 g

Olive oil - 4-4.5 tablespoons

Garlic - 2-3 cloves

Salt to taste

Ground cumin - 0.25-0.5 tsp

Ground chili pepper - to taste

Paprika - 1 tsp

Coriander / parsley - 2 tablespoons

Lemon juice to taste

• 88 kcal
• 30 min.
• 50 minutes
• 1 hour 20 minutes

Photo of the finished dish

Video recipe: Salad "Zaaluk" (Moroccan cuisine)

Step by step recipe with photos and videos

Zaaluk Spicy Eggplant Salad is a typical Moroccan appetizer found in most regions of the country. In terms of its composition and cooking concept, Zaaluk is very close to eggplant caviar, popular in European cuisine and loved by many, only the spices used and the approach to cooking in Morocco are somewhat different.

Eggplant, tomato and olive oil are the key ingredients in the dish. The oil is used not only for frying vegetables, but also for seasoning ready-made salad. For aroma and taste, add garlic, fresh herbs, spices and certainly a few drops of lemon juice. The consistency of the dish depends on the preferences of the cook - sometimes the pieces of vegetables can be clearly distinguishable, in other cases everything is carefully chopped.

Salad is served both hot and cold, most often simply supplemented with bread or flat cakes, or as a vegetable side dish for fried meat. In my family, this spicy appetizer was enjoyed even by those who, in principle, do not like eggplant. Try it! Perhaps the mouth-watering Moroccan Zaaluk salad will appeal to you too!

Prepare ingredients according to the list.

Wash, pat dry the eggplants and place on a baking sheet. Pierce the eggplant skins with a fork or knife in several places.

Place the eggplants in an oven preheated to 200 degrees and bake for 35-40 minutes, until tender. If possible, you can bake eggplants on the grill or grill, deliberately letting their skins slightly char, in which case the eggplants will acquire a pleasant "smoky" flavor.

Chill the eggplants slightly, peel them and squeeze out all the juice. In order to remove the juice, you can also place whole freshly baked eggplants under the press for 10-15 minutes, and then peel them.

Chop the peeled eggplant pulp with a knife or thoroughly mash with a fork until mushy.

Peel the tomatoes with a sharp knife, cutting off a thin layer of the peel. Moroccan chefs emphasize that the method of scalding tomatoes with boiling water in order to peel the peel should not be used in this recipe, since the tomato pulp is slightly softened and the tomatoes begin to actively give out juice even before they enter the pan.

Chop the garlic cloves into small pieces. Sprinkle the garlic with a pinch of salt and rub, pressing down with the flat side of a knife, until the garlic chunks let out juice and aroma.

Heat 3 tablespoons in a skillet. olive oil. Add chopped tomatoes, garlic and spices: ground cumin, paprika, chili and 0.5 tsp salt. In the absence of cumin, you can add ground cumin or coriander to taste.

Stir occasionally, fry the mixture over medium heat for 10-12 minutes, until thickened.

Then add the chopped eggplant pulp.

While stirring, fry for another 5-8 minutes, until all the liquid has evaporated and the mixture is completely thickened.

Turn off the heat, add finely chopped fresh herbs, another 1-1.5 tbsp. olive oil, and salt and lemon juice to taste.

Mix everything well and serve the dish to the table.

Moroccan salad "Zaaluk" is ready.

Serve hot, warm or chilled with fresh bread or wheat cakes. Enjoy your meal!