Zaalouk

A warm, smoky cooked salad of eggplant and tomatoes seasoned with garlic, cumin, paprika and olive oil. It is spread on bread as a dip or served on a mezze plate.

Zaalouk

Zaalouk-01: Tamorlan, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

Where it comes from

Zaalouk is a traditional cooked salad of Morocco, found across North Africa and served with bread as part of the first courses. The eggplant is cooked until it almost melts into the tomato sauce.

Explore the cuisine of Morocco.

Recipe

Make Zaalouk at home

Serves 4-6Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 medium eggplants, peeled and cubed
  • 4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp chili flakes
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro and parsley
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Crusty bread

How it's made

  1. Salt the eggplant cubes and let them drain 20 minutes, then rinse and pat dry.
  2. Steam or boil the eggplant for 10 minutes until tender, then drain.
  3. Cook the tomatoes and garlic in oil in a skillet for 10 minutes until pulpy.
  4. Add the eggplant and spices.
  5. Mash with a fork and cook, stirring, for 15 minutes until thick and jammy.
  6. Stir in the herbs and lemon.
  7. Serve warm or at room temperature with bread.

Variations

  • Smoky zaalouk: Using charred eggplant.
  • Spicy zaalouk: Extra chili.
  • Taktouka: A related salad with peppers and tomatoes.

Cook’s tip: Cook it down until the oil separates from the vegetables; the flavor gets deeper and sweeter.

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About this page

Description and method written by Intercontinental Chef. Home-style method; quantities are a starting point, so adjust to taste.

Photo credit