Fire Roasted Eggplant Salad with Yogurt and Mint

I cook middle eastern food quite frequently because of its high protein content. I love fresh baked pita too but try to keep it at minimum for carbs. I make many varieties of Hummus, Baba Ganoush and Tabbouleh and wanted to make something else this time.

This eggplant salad is smoky, soothing and refreshing all at once :). I was little skeptical to add yogurt to mashed eggplant at first, but it turned out totally yum.

Ingredients

• Eggplant
• 1 Cup yogurt
• Mint leaves bunch (finely chopped)
• 3 Garlic Cloves (minced)
• 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp Sumac to garnish  (optional)
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

Procedure

• Preheat oven to 400 degree Fahrenheit and roast whole eggplant until charred
• Carefully remove the burnt / charred eggplant skin and keep the flesh in a colander to let cool

• Eggplant will leave a lot of water and eventually cool down, press with your hands or spatula to remove any remaining water
• Mash the eggplant using your hands or spatula. DO NOT GRIND! The texture is best when its just roughly mashed.

• Add Yogurt, mint leaves, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and salt. (eggplant should not be hot to touch by this time)

• Sprinkle with sumac and/or red pepper flakes

Tadaa!!! Your awesome fire roasted eggplant salad is ready to serve. You can serve it with pita bread or chips

Now next time you buy a eggplant, don’t forget to give this recipe a try. Would love to hear your experiences 🙂

Happy Cooking!