Zaalouk
A Moroccan salad served warm or cold. Many homes cook everything in one pot, but in this version the aubergine is roasted and the tomatoes reduced separately, combined only at the end: roasted aubergine has a deeper, lightly caramelised flavour, and the tomatoes get time to thicken properly. The texture should stay rough and uneven, which is why the aubergine is crushed with a spoon, not blended.
Your own work in that: 0 min.
- Roasting the aubergine 30 min
- Tomatoes 25 min
- Combining 15 min
Step by step
0 / 6 doneRoast the halved aubergines
Halve the aubergines lengthways, score the flesh in a grid, brush with oil and salt, then roast cut side down for 30 minutes at 220°C. Cut side down, because the flesh caramelises against the tray instead of drying out.
Ingredients: 2 pcs aubergines · 4 tbsp olive oil · 1 tsp salt
Cut side down — the flesh caramelises on the tray.Reduce the tomatoes with garlic
Heat the oil, add the crushed garlic and after a minute the chopped tomatoes with the spices. Cook uncovered 25 minutes, until thick and darkened. This is where the flavour is made — watery tomatoes give a thin, bland salad.
Ingredients: 700 g tomatoes · 5 cloves garlic · 4 tbsp olive oil · 1 tsp sweet paprika · 1½ tsp cumin · ½ tsp chilli flakes · 1 tsp salt
Thick and dark — only such a base carries flavour.Scoop out the aubergine flesh
Scoop out the flesh with a spoon, discarding the skin, and chop it coarsely. The skin can stay for a rustic version, but then chop it very finely — in pieces it is tough and spoils the texture.
Ingredients: 2 pcs aubergines · 4 tbsp olive oil · 1 tsp salt
Combine and crush with a spoon
Add the aubergine to the tomatoes and cook 10 minutes, crushing with a wooden spoon. Crushing, not blending: zaalouk should stay rough and uneven, while blended it becomes a smooth paste with no character.
Ingredients: 700 g tomatoes · 5 cloves garlic · 4 tbsp olive oil · 1 tsp sweet paprika · 1½ tsp cumin · ½ tsp chilli flakes · 1 tsp salt
Crushed with a spoon — the uneven texture is the aim.Reduce to a paste
Cook uncovered until a spoon drawn across leaves a trail on the base of the pan. Zaalouk is served with bread and must hold on a piece — watery, it slides straight off.
Ingredients: 700 g tomatoes · 5 cloves garlic · 4 tbsp olive oil · 1 tsp sweet paprika · 1½ tsp cumin · ½ tsp chilli flakes · 1 tsp salt
Finish with herbs and lemon
Take off the heat, stir in the chopped coriander and parsley and the lemon juice. Herbs off the heat, because cooked they blacken and lose their scent. Drizzle with olive oil and serve with flatbread.
Ingredients: 1 bunch coriander · ½ bunch parsley · 1 pcs lemon · 2 tbsp olive oil · 4 pcs bread
Before you start
Warm or cold
In Morocco zaalouk is served at room temperature as part of a spread of salads at the start of a meal. Warm it is more aromatic, cool it is denser and more cohesive — both are fine.
The cumin should be pronounced
A teaspoon and a half looks like a lot, but cumin defines the dish here, as in many Moroccan salads. Toast the seeds in a dry pan and grind them in a mortar — the difference from ready-ground is marked.
Four days in the fridge
Zaalouk is better on the second day, as the garlic and spices spread. It keeps four days in the fridge under a layer of oil. Take it out half an hour before serving — cold, the oil firms and the flavour is muted.
