Persian eggplant salad
As you might have noticed, I recently fell in love with Persian cuisine. Which is why I decided to make yet another Persian dish – Persian eggplant salad. I really like all the flavors that are dominant in their dishes, the lemon, pomegranate, olive oil and all of the spices that they use. And like the others that I made, this dish is made with all of these lovely ingredients.
It is delicious, healthy, easy to make, and on top of all that – vegan. What’s not to like? I am not someone who makes a lot of salads, but this one really bought me. And I think you will like it as well. Especially if you liked the previous two Persian recipes that I posted here. So if i peaked your interest, feel free to keep reading.
Some health benefits
As you may have noticed, this dish is full of great and healthy ingredients. But today I chose to write a thing or two about eggplants, since they make up the majority of the dish.
Eggplant provides a good amount of fiber, vitamins and minerals in few calories. They are high in anthocyanins, a pigment with antioxidant properties that can protect against cellular damage.
Some animal studies have found that eggplants may improve heart function and reduce LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels, though human research is needed. They can help promote weight loss. It can also be used in place of higher-calorie ingredients.
Eggplants contain solasodine rhamnosyl glycosides, which test-tube studies indicate may aid in cancer treatment.
And as you might have noticed from the ingredient list, there are a few more healthy veggies included in this recipe, but more on them some other time. I think that these are some pretty good reasons to try and include eggplant into your meals every now and then. And if you are short on ideas, why not start with this wonderful vegan Persian eggplant salad?
A piece of advice
This is a very easy salad recipe, so this section of the post might be very short. But I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t have a few tips to give you, so here we go.
The eggplants and the red peppers are supposed to be blistered over an open flame in the original recipe, but I had to work with what I had. And oven baked veggies are pretty awesome as well. The dish turned out delicious.
It would be best if you could crush the garlic, but you can finely chop it as well. The red horn peppers need less time in the oven than the eggplants, so don’t forget to take them out first (when they become a bit charred and relaxed). You don’t need a zip-lock bag, you can place them in any plastic bag, twist it and set aside for about 20 minutes. We do this in order for them to sweat a little so we can peel off the skin easily.
I am very used to handling hot food, but if you are not, feel free to let the veggies cool down prior to cutting them. Pomegranate molasses is an ingredient that you can make on your own with very few ingredients, and I am going to leave the recipe for that right – here.
These measurements are enough for 1 salad. If you are making the Persian eggplant salad for multiple people, make sure to increase the measurements.
Persian eggplant salad
Ingredients
2 eggplants
2 red horn peppers
parsley (a small bunch)
2 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp of lemon juice
3 tbsp of olive oil
a pinch of cinnamon
pomegranate molasses*
pomegranate seeds
salt
pepper
Directions
- Line a baking dish with some parchment paper. Place the whole eggplants and red horn peppers in the dish. Heat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius (425 F) and place the baking dish in it. Take the red peppers out after 30 minutes and place them in a zip-lock bag. Set aside for about 20 minutes. Let the eggplants bake for 45 to 50 minutes in total.
- Take the eggplants out and cut them in half lengthwise. Scoop the eggplant out with a spoon and throw away the skin. Chop the scooped eggplants into small pieces if needed. Press them down a bit to remove the excess water. Set aside. Take the red horn peppers out of the plastic bag and peel the skin off. Cut the peppers into small pieces. Chop (or crush) the garlic and cut the parsley into small pieces.
- In a medium sized bowl mix together the eggplant, red horn peppers, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, a pinch of cinnamon, some salt and pepper and parsley. Mix everything with a spoon. Add a few splashes of pomegranate molasses and gently mix again. Top off with some pomegranate seeds and some more parsley.
- These measurements are enough for 1 salad. If you are making the Persian eggplant salad for multiple people, make sure to increase the measurements.
Notes
- * Pomegranate molasses is an ingredient that you can make on your own with very few ingredients, and I am going to leave the recipe for that right – here.
If you liked this recipe, make sure you check out my other recipes like:
Feel free to tell me what you think about this in the comments below, or send me the pictures of your own Persian eggplant salad. If you did something differently, I would also like to hear that, I’d love to see the things you come up with.
P.S. for more recipes like this and a bunch of other stuff, follow me on instagram, @margo_drobi.
Also, I recently started a Patreon page, where you can subscribe and help me create more/better content. In return, you will get an exclusive piece of content (recipe) each month. My plan is to increase the amount of that content if I gain a few subscribers. If you are interested and you want to find out more, I will leave the link to my Patreon right – here.