Turkish eggplant salad

Eggplant and tomato are a beloved combination worldwide, from Italy’s caponata to France’s ratatouille. Here they come together in a dish by chef Grant King, inspired by the Turkish eggplant dish imam bayildi, for a vegetarian jammy eggplant toast, perfect for weekend brunches, piled high with goat’s cheese and fresh coriander sprigs.

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

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episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

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Ingredients

• 150 ml olive oil, divided
• 1 large eggplant, cut into 2 cm chunks
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 long red chilli, deseeded, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp roasted cumin seeds, ground
• 1 tsp roasted coriander seeds, ground
• ¼ cup (60 ml) red wine vinegar
• 266 g tinned cherry tomatoes
• ¼ cup mint leaves, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup coriander leaves, roughly chopped, plus extra sprigs to serve
• ¼ cup basil leaves, roughly chopped
• Salt and black pepper
• 8 sourdough slices, toasted, to serve
• 80 g goat's cheese log, crumbled

Instructions

1. Heat two-thirds of the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7-8 minutes, or until softened.
2. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a second large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and chilli and cook, stirring, until softened. Add the ground spices and red wine vinegar and cook for a further 2 minutes.
3. Transfer the eggplant (along with any oil) to the pan with the onion mixture along with the tinned cherry tomatoes. Cook for a further five minutes, then stir through the herbs. Season to taste, then remove from the heat.
4. Divide the eggplant mixture between sourdough slices and top with goat’s cheese, then torch with a blowtorch, or place underneath a hot grill for 2 minutes, or until the cheese just melts. Garnish with extra coriander sprigs and serve.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Stream free On Demand

Bang for Your Buck

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

30m

G

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

30m

G