Hajar's Eggplant (Aubergine) Braniya Salad

Submitted by Hajar Elizabeth

"Here in Morocco we have a few very good eggplant salads (slatas). The best known being Zalouk. Braniya is the Moroccan Arabic word for eggplant and this salad is begged for by hubby and friends! This is a lush paritally cooked salad that does involve standing time. This is not good without standing 6 hours or overnight is even better! It just doesn't work freshly done. c.2005"

 

• Ready In: 50mins
• Ingredients: 10
• Serves: 4-6

ingredients

• 2 lbs eggplants, peeled and cubed
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3⁄4 cup sweet white onion, grated
• 1⁄2 cup green bell pepper, very finely minced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1⁄2 teaspoon good sweet paprika
• 1⁄4 teaspoon fresh black pepper
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar

directions

1. Brown the eggplant in the oil. No need to salt or fiddle at all with the eggplant. I do this in a large skillet on moderate heat and wait quite a while before moving or turning the cubes. You want it nicely browned and cooked through though not mush. The given amount of oil is enough to do this and I have never had to add more. Your pan will look overfull but the eggplant will shrink.
2. While the eggplant is browning prepare the onions, peppers and garlic and place into a glass or plastic bowl.
3. Pour eggplant, hot, and it's oil (if any left, though the oil will drain back from the eggplant into the salad during standing for the dressing.) into the bowl over the onion mixture.
4. Top with remaining ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate at least 6 hours and serve chilled or room temperature.
5. Please use fresh lemon juice and to taste. The amount I use is the juice of 1 fresh lemon. Not easy to give an exact measurement on how much juice 1 lemon will yield but I always use 1 lemon.
6. This does need to sit so figure in the sitting time as part of the cook time.

Reviews

[Missy Wombat]

We have tons of eggplant available in this tropical climate so this recipe was a great choice for using seasonal produce. I love recipes that I can make the night before when I know I will be a reluctant cook on a busy day. Even the kids liked this one.

 

[Elmotoo]

I used minced scallions instead of a sweet onion since I didn't have one. It only sat about 30 minutes but everyone LOVES it!!!

 

[lemoncurd]

A lovely and slightly diffrent badinjan salata. I made the recipe as is except I halved the quantity. I let it sit for 14 hours. The flavours were lovely and not over powering nor strong. We eat it for iftaar. Shukran Hajaar and Ramadaan karim. :)

 

[mianbao]

I like this a lot, though it's quite different from other salads I've had. Even after resting overnight, the flavors are still pretty strong, and I think next time I make it I'll experiment more with proportions of the seasoning. Still very very nice, and best of all NOT fiddley! I love eggplant, hate directions like, "carefully paint each 1/2 inch slice with olive oil..." This recipe is so much easier. Thank you very much for sharing it with us.