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Sticky Harissa Aubergine

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5 from 6 reviews

This is one of my favourite ways of making aubergine: cut into thick slices, roasted until golden on the outside and soft and squidgy in the middle, and finished with a sticky glaze. This one is harissa-based, which pairs beautifully with the nutty whipped tahini and tangy, garlicky yoghurt. Enjoy with warm flatbreads or serve alongside some herby couscous and veg.

  • Author: zenak
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 4 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 large aubergines (or 4 regular)
  • 75ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • 50g natural yoghurt
  • ¼ lemon, juice only
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 tbsp harissa paste
  • 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses (see Notes for substitutes)
  • 1 tbsp date syrup (see Notes for substitutes)
  • 100g good-quality tahini (see Notes)
  • 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
  • 75ml cold water
  • handful pomegranate seeds
  • handful rocket leaves

Instructions

  1. Heat your oven to 240°C/220°C fan.
  2. Slice your aubergines into 4cm thick rounds and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the extra-virgin olive oil, season generously with salt and pepper and toss well to coat.
  3. Line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper. Arrange the aubergine slices in a single layer and roast for 35-40 minutes, or until deep golden brown.
  4. Meanwhile, place the natural yoghurt, lemon juice and garlic in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper and whisk to combine, then refrigerate until ready to use.
  5. In a separate bowl, combine the harissa paste, pomegranate molasses and date syrup. This is the harissa glaze.
  6. Back to the aubergine. Brush the top of the aubergine slices with half of the harissa glaze and return to the oven for 5 minutes, or until beginning to caramelise. Flip, brush the other side with the remaining marinade and return to the oven for 5 minutes, or until beginning to caramelise.
  7. Finally, whisk the tahini and toasted sesame oil until smooth, then add the water and whisk again until smooth. It will split and look like it won’t emulsify but trust the process! After a couple of minutes, it will come together in a thick, creamy sauce. Season with salt, to taste, and set aside.
  8. To assemble, spread the whipped tahini onto a large plate. Top with the aubergine slices, drizzle over the garlicky, lemony yoghurt, and finish with the pomegranate and rocket.

Notes

  1. If you don’t have pomegranate molasses, you can swap it for balsamic glaze. Please note that they’re not generally interchangeable; balsamic glaze just happens to work nicely in this case.
  2. If you don’t have date syrup, you can swap it for honey or maple syrup.
  3. Not all tahini is created equal. Poor-quality tahini is thick, clumpy, gritty, and bitter. Good-quality tahini is smooth, pourable and balanced, not bitter. Where possible, I recommend avoiding supermarket own-brand tahini and opting for Middle-Eastern versions instead. Some of my favourite tahini brands are Baracke, Al Nakhil, Al Taj and Belazu.

Find it online: https://zenaskitchen.com/sticky-harissa-aubergine/

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