There are many ways to make eggplant salad, but this recipe is inspired by the famous Iraqi salad called “Baytinjania.” It’s quite popular in Iraqi restaurants, and it is totally Vegan!
What is Eggplant Salad?
This Eggplant Salad, or “Baytinjania,” as we call it in Arabic, is a delightful salad that combines fried veggies with a medley of fresh veggies and herbs, creating a burst of flavors and textures in every bite. The star of the salad is the humble eggplant, obviously 😉
The secret to any delicious salad lies in the dressing; it makes or breaks a salad, and this dressing is no exception. The dressing I am using here is a mixture of ketchup, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, olive oil, sumac, cumin, and salt.
The dressing makes this eggplant salad tangy with a sweet and sour flavor and blends perfectly well with all the veggies.
Ingredients:
- Eggplant: use the big eggplant variety.
- Red & green peppers
- Cucumber: you can use either English or Persian cucumber.
- Tomato: use the big tomato variety.
- Onion: white onion works best in this recipe.
- Herbs: This is optional, but I have used fresh chopped parsley and mint. Both complement the flavors in this salad. Highly recommended!
- Dressing ingredients: Ketchup. Pomegranate molasses, olive oil, lemon juice, sumac powder, cumin powder, and salt.
How to make Iraqi Eggplant Salad:
To make this flavorful Iraqi eggplant salad, you will need to follow these prepping tips to perfect this salad:
Prepping the eggplants:
- The first thing you need to do is peel the eggplants into strips. This reduces the bitterness due to the thick skin, then cuts them crosswise into medium-thin circles.
- Place the circles in a colander, sprinkle some salt, and let it sit for 15-20 minutes. This will remove further bitterness, and the eggplant will soak up less oil while frying.
- Rinse it under water to remove the excess salt, and pat it dry with a kitchen towel. Stack up a few eggplant circles and cut them into small sticks. Now, it is ready for frying.
Prepping other veggies:
- Thinly slice the red and green peppers.
- I used 2 Persian cucumbers in this recipe. You first need to deseed them by cutting them in half lengthwise, using a teaspoon to scrape the seeds, setting them aside, and then slicing the cucumbers.
- Cut the tomatoes in half, deseed them, and then slice.
- Slice the white onion and chop the fresh herbs.
Now you have all the veggies prepped, you can start cooking (shallow fry) the eggplants, peppers, and onions:
- Heat a frying pan on medium-high heat, add 2 tbsp of olive oil, and then add the red and green peppers to sautee for 5 – 8 minutes, till tender. Set them aside.
- In the same pan, add another 1 tbsp of olive oil. Fry the onion until soft, then add it to the peppers.
- Add 3-4 tbsp of olive oil to the hot pan and add the eggplants (I’ve fried the eggplant in 2 batches). Stir for 10 minutes until they’re done. Once cooked, let them drain any excess oil before adding them to the rest of the veggies.
- Add all the dressing ingredients to a medium bowl and mix it well.
- Assemble the salad by adding the sliced cucumbers and tomatoes to the fried veggies, then add the herbs and dressing and mix it well to combine.
How to serve the salad:
When it comes to serving the salad, a few options can enhance the overall dining experience. You can serve the Iraqi eggplant salad as a side dish alongside a rice dish like Mujadara or vermicelli rice.
If you’re looking to make a complete meal out of it, consider serving the salad as a main dish. Serve it with toasted sourdough bread or have it with pita bread and make sure you scoop that tangy dressing as well, trust me and give it a try.
Storing eggplant salad:
When storing leftover salad, there are a few key considerations to remember. First and foremost, it’s important to let the salad cool completely before transferring it to an air-tight container.
Once the salad has cooled, store it in an airtight container. This will help keep the salad fresh and prevent odors or flavors from seeping in.
Before storing the salad, make sure to remove any excess dressing. While the salad can be stored with the dressing, it’s often best to add the dressing before serving to maintain the freshness of the tomato and cucumbers.
The salad can typically be stored in the fridge for up to three days. However, it’s important to note that it may start to lose its freshness and texture over time. To make the most of your leftovers, consume them within the first day or two.
When you’re ready to enjoy the leftover salad, remove it from the fridge and let it come to room temperature before serving.
Recommended Recipes :
Below are more plant-based recipes inspired by Iraqi cuisine:
- Iraqi Potato stew.
- Delicious fava bean rice, or “timman baghilla”
- Bamia recipe, the ultimate comfort Iraqi food.
- Authentic restaurant’s style Iraqi lentil soup recipe.
If you make this recipe, I’d love a comment and a rating. Please make sure to tag me in re-creation on Instagram @veganbilaraby. I love to see your take on my vegan recipes 💚
Eggplant salad
Ingredients
- 2 big eggplants
- 1 red pepper medium size, thinly sliced
- 1 green pepper medium size , thinly sliced
- 2 cucumbers deseeded and sliced
- 2 tomatoes deseeded and sliced
- ½ white onion sliced
- ⅓ cup fresh parsley chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh mint chopped
- ½ cup olive oil for frying the veggies
Dressing ingredients :
- 2.5 tbsp ketchup
- 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp sumac powder
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ lemon juiced
Instructions
- For prepping the eggplants, pls refer to the blog post for tips on prepping the eggplants.
- While waiting for the eggplant to drain, start frying the peppers, heat a frying pan on medium-high heat, add 2 tbsp of olive oil, and then add the red and green peppers to sautee for 5 – 8 minutes, till tender. Set them aside.
- To the same pan add another 1 tbsp of olive oil and fry the onion till it's soft and then add it to the peppers.
- Once the eggplant is ready for frying, add 3-4 tbsp of olive oil to the hot pan and add the eggplant (I've fried the eggplant in 2 batches), stir for 10 minutes until it's done, once done let it drain any excess oil before adding it to the rest of the veggies.
- Add all the dressing ingredients to a medium bowl and mix it well.
- Assemble the salad by adding the sliced cucumbers and tomatoes to the fried veggies, then add the herbs and dressing. Mix it well to combine.
- Serve it immediately or let it cool in the fridge before serving. Enjoy!
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