Zaalouk - Creamy Moroccan Tomato And Eggplant Dip

Ingredients

• 5 sweet tomatoes (medium sized - note 1)
• 2 eggplants (note 2)
• 4 g cumin powder (note 3)
• 4 g smoked paprika
• 20 g garlic (chopped or minced)
• 80 g olive oil (extra virgin)
• 10 g parsley (chopped - note 4)
• 5 g mint (chopped)
• 6 g salt
• 6 g sugar (note 5)
• juice of 1 lemon

Instructions

1. 1

   --- For the eggplant ---

2. 2

   roast eggplant: Roast in the oven at 250 °C or 482 °F until soft. Takes about 20 minutes. If it needs longer, give it longer. The eggplant needs to be fully cooked and soft.

3. 3

   remove flesh and set aside: When cooked, remove the flesh and roughly chop it up. Set aside until needed.

4. 4

   --- For the tomatoes (optional step. You can also chop the tomatoes whole, seeds and all. It's just more rustic.) ---

5. 5

   blanch and prep tomatoes: Blanch, peel and de-seed the tomatoes. Press the juice from the seeds by rubbing through a sieve. Dice into large pieces and set aside along with the juice.

6. 6

   --- Cooking the zaalouk ---

7. 7

   heat skillet: Heat a skillet with oil until it just starts to smoke. The eggplant and tomatoes are still watery, and we want to condense that all into a homogenous creamy chunky stew.

8. 8

   add eggplant: Once the skillet is hot, turn the heat to medium and add the eggplant along with the garlic. Cook and stir for a few minutes, taking care not to burn it.

9. 9

   add tomatoes: Next, add the tomatoes along with the juice if you used fresh tomatoes. Let it stew for a few minutes until they start breaking up a bit.

10. 10

    add spices: Add the spices along with the salt and sugar. Cook a bit longer.

11. 11

    check consistency: When it's ready it's should not be wet but nice and creamy. You'll know when it's ready.

12. 12

    adjust seasoning: Give it a taste and adjust the seasoning if you want. Add the lemon juice little by little according to your taste along with the chopped herbs. Let it cool down to room temperature.

13. 13

    --- Serving ---

14. 14

    serve: Put into a bowl or keep in the pan before drizzling with plenty of olive oil, adding some more herbs and freshly cracked black pepper. Serve with flatbread or flour tortillas along with optional dukkah or za'atar seasoning.