Zaalouk is a Moroccan cooked salad of eggplant and tomatoes, slowly softened with garlic, cumin and paprika until deeply flavored, then left to mellow before serving. Portuguese cooks will recognize the instinct.
This is a cooked salad, more like a warm or room-temperature relish than a crisp green thing, made from eggplant and tomatoes simmered down with garlic, cumin, paprika, and a good amount of olive oil until the eggplant nearly falls apart and the whole mixture turns glossy and deep red-brown.
It shows up all over Morocco as part of a spread of small salads alongside bread, much like Muhammara or Chicken Bastilla (both recipes on the site) fit into a bigger North African or Levantine table.
It is ideal for batch cooking: eat it on toast, alongside grilled chicken, or straight from the container. It keeps improving for a couple of days in the fridge.
Zaalouk (Moroccan Eggplant and Tomato Salad) Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants (about 2 lbs), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 3 large tomatoes, grated or finely chopped (or 1 [14.5-ounce] can diced tomatoes, drained)
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/3 cup olive oil, plus more for serving
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Salt, to taste
- Crusty bread or pita, for serving
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the cubed eggplant and boil 8 to 10 minutes, until very tender. Drain well, pressing gently to remove excess water.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, cumin, paprika, and cayenne, and cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the tomatoes and a good pinch of salt, and simmer 8 to 10 minutes, until the tomatoes break down and thicken.
- Add the drained eggplant to the skillet and mash it roughly with a fork or potato masher as it cooks, stirring frequently, for 10 to 12 minutes, until the mixture is thick, glossy, and uniform.
- Stir in the cilantro and lemon juice, and season with additional salt to taste.
- Serve warm or at room temperature, drizzled with a little extra olive oil and more cilantro, with bread or pita for scooping.
Enjoy our recipes? Add Maria’s Cookbook as a preferred source on Google to see more of our content in your search results.
