Lebanese Eggplant Salad Salatit El Batinjan Food

FATTET BATTENJEN

Steps:

• For the eggplant: Remove the tops from the eggplants and slice them the long way into 1-inch slices. Rub the sea salt on the flesh sides of each eggplant and place them into a strainer on top of a large bowl. Let them sit for an hour in a cool place.
• Cut the eggplant into 1-inch cubes, all about the same size so that they will cook evenly.
• Heat the oil in a high-sided skillet over medium-high heat to 350 degrees F on a deep-fry thermometer. Line a plate with paper towels.
• Carefully drop one piece of eggplant into the oil, and when it starts to sizzle, add a few more handfuls. Working in batches, fry the eggplant until they are golden and crispy, stirring occasionally, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the fried eggplant to the paper-towel-lined plate.
• For the tahini yogurt garlic sauce: Whisk the yogurt in a large bowl until smooth. Add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, pomegranate molasses and sea salt and whisk until combined and smooth.
• For the layers: Lay the toasted pita chips on a platter, top with the chickpeas and sprinkle with the salt and cumin. Top with the fried eggplant, then pour over the yogurt sauce and top with the parsley. Sprinkle over the paprika, pomegranate seeds and cranberries. Top with the melted butter and toasted pine nuts. Garnish with mint leaves if using and serve.

LEBANESE EGGPLANT SALAD / SALAFAT EL RAHAB

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the grill to high.2. When ready to cook, place the eggplants on the hot grate and grill until charred all over and the flesh is very soft, turning with tongs as needed. This will take 15 to 20 minutes for small eggplants up to 30 minutes for large. Transfer the eggplants to a cutting board to cool.3. Cut the stem ends from the eggplants and scrape off the burnt skin with a paring knife. Cut the flesh into 1/4-inch dice and transfer to a serving bowl. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, scallions, garlic (if using), 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Taste for seasoning, adding more olive oil if the salad seems too dry and salt or lemon juice as necessary the salad should be highly seasoned.Serves 4

FATTET BETENJAN (EGGPLANT AND YOGURT SALAD)

Steps:

• Pour water and 2 tablespoons salt into a large bowl. Add cubed eggplant and let sit for 30 minutes. Drain and place on paper towel-lines plates until completely dry, about 30 more minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Chop pita bread into 1-inch cubes and place on a baking sheet.
• Roast in the preheated oven, stirring occasionally, until golden, 8 to 10 minutes; do not burn. Remove from the oven and set aside.
• Heat 1/2 inch oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Working in batches, fry eggplant until golden, about 6 minutes per batch. Remove to paper towel-lined plates to drain.
• Meanwhile, combine yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a small frying pan. Add almonds and cook until fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring often, until nicely brown and toasted, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Remove from the heat.
• Place lettuce on a serving platter. Layer with eggplant, chickpeas, and roasted pita bread. Pour yogurt mixture over top and sprinkle with toasted almonds. Serve at room temperature or cold.

LEBANESE EGGPLANT SALAD - (SALATIT EL BATINJAN)

Steps:

• Put the whole eggplant as is, (only cut and remove the stem from the top), on a baking sheet and bake it. You'll notice when it's done that the juice came out on the baking sheet and the skin is almost toasted and it becomes soft when you punch it with a knife.
• Let it cool for a bit then cut it in half and remove the skin; just cut it roughly into small/medium diced pieces and put it in the salad bowl, (it's ok if it has some juice still). Then add the rest of the ingredients and mix the salad and serve. This is good with pita bread on the side.

M'TABBAL (EGGPLANT DIP)

Steps:

• Grill the eggplant over a flame or under the broiler until the skin blisters.
• Remove the skin off the eggplant, chop the pulp coarsely, and squeeze out the liquid. Place pulp in a bowl.
• Stir in crushed garlic, yogurt and salt alternatively adding tahini and lemon until desired taste is achieved.
• Place eggplant dip in a shallow serving dish and drizzle with olive oil.
• Serve with Arabic bread.