Patlican Salatasi (Smokey Eggplant Salad)
Courtesy of Elif Selvili
The eggplants can be cooked directly over the stove, but they won't have the same smoky flavor as those cooked on coals (see note below). The salad can be turned into a vegan dish by omitting the yogurt.
Note: In order to cook food directly on hot coals, you should use either wood or natural lump charcoal, made with only pure hardwood. It burns hotter and faster than compressed briquettes, making it ideal for direct-heat cooking. Use a common chimney starter to light them up (don’t use lighter fluid). When the charcoal is glowing red, use a grill rake to level the coals, give a quick fan to blow off the excess ash and place the eggplants directly on the hot embers. Turning frequently with long tongs, cook until charred all around, which typically takes about 15 to 20 minutes.
Ingredients
For 4 Person(s)
Cream
- 4 large eggplants (fat, oval kind)
- 3 large garlic cloves
- 1 cups yogurt (whole milk, thick variety)
- 1/4 cups olive oil
- 1 lemon, juiced
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Patlican Salatasi (Smokey Eggplant Salad) Directions
- Pierce the eggplants in a few spots with a fork and cook directly on hot coals in an outdoor grill, turning them with long tongs as the skin gets charred. If a coal fire is not possible, cook them directly on a gas burner or under a broiler, turning constantly. Eggplant skin is surprisingly tough and can handle the direct flames or coals without catching fire. Cook the eggplants until thoroughly soft (it’s better to overcook than undercook), approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
- Place them in a metal colander to cool. Press down gently on the eggplants to squeeze out as much of the juice as possible without breaking them apart.
- Crush the garlic and mix with the yogurt, olive oil and lemon juice in a large bowl. Set aside.
- When the eggplants are cool enough to touch, peel them carefully, removing all of the charred skin (leaving even small pieces will create a bitter taste). Discard sections with a lot of seeds.
- Add remaining eggplant to the yogurt and garlic mixture and mash with a large fork or potato masher until there are no large lumps. The resulting mixture does not need to be completely smooth but should not have large, unbroken pieces of eggplant. Season with salt and pepper. Chill for 1 hour before serving.
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