Eat Healthy and Cheap
Zaalouk
Zaalouk is one of Morocco's everyday cooked salads: mashed eggplant and tomato, eaten at room temperature with bread before a meal or alongside a tagine. Most versions lean on a heavy pour of olive oil for richness. Here, the eggplant supplies that instead: charring it whole under a broiler until the skin blackens turns the flesh smoky and custard-soft before it ever reaches the pan, which is normally where a dish like this earns its savor. Grating the tomato on a box grater strips out the tough skin without a blanching step, so the pulp cooks down into a jam-thick sauce in under fifteen minutes.
Ingredients
- 2 Eggplants, medium, left whole
- 1 lb Fresh tomatoes, halved
- 4 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 tsp Cumin seed, toasted and ground
- 1 tsp Smoked paprika
- 1 pinch Cayenne
- 2 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped
- 2 tbsp Flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Method
- Char the whole eggplants under a hot broiler or directly over a gas flame, turning every few minutes, until the skin blisters black on all sides and the flesh collapses soft, 15 to 20 minutes over a flame or about 35 minutes under the broiler. This is the dish's only source of smokiness, standing in for the olive oil most versions fry the aromatics in.
- Let the eggplants cool enough to handle, then peel off and discard the charred skin. Chop the soft flesh roughly and set it in a colander to drain off any bitter juice while you build the sauce.
- Halve the tomatoes and grate the cut side on the large holes of a box grater into a bowl, working down to the skin and discarding it. This pulls out the seedy, juicy flesh and leaves the tough peel behind, so the sauce reduces without turning stringy.
- In a wide, dry skillet over medium heat, cook the garlic, cumin, and smoked paprika for about a minute, stirring, until fragrant. Splash in a tablespoon of water the moment the spices start to catch, since there is no oil here to buffer them from the pan.
- Add the grated tomato and cook, stirring occasionally, for 12 to 15 minutes, until it darkens, thickens, and loses its raw, watery smell.
- Fold in the drained eggplant and mash it into the tomato with the back of a spoon, leaving some texture rather than a puree. Cook 5 to 8 more minutes, until the mixture holds its shape on a spoon, then season with the cayenne and a small pinch of salt.
- Take the pan off the heat and stir in the lemon juice, cilantro, and parsley. Taste and add more lemon if the dish tastes flat rather than reaching for salt. Serve warm or at room temperature with whole-grain flatbread or as a side to a main dish.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 75 calories, 3 g protein, 6 g fiber. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt.
