This roasted eggplant (eggplant) and harissa butter is an EPIC side dish for the table or for a light easy midweek dinner. Adding creamy garlic yogurt and some crusty bread to finish it off is a serious gamechanger!
Sponsored by Mont Vine, Victoria
Why will you love this recipe?
- vegetarian friendly
- Great as a light dinner
- Perfect side dish or any protein
- Serious “eat with your eyes” appeal
We all eat with our eyes, we know we shouldn’t, but window shopping is an essential tool at every stage of life! That’s why my roasted brinjal (eggplant) and harissa butter dish alone will have you and your guests drooling in no time. If it’s a light and healthy midweek meal you’re looking for or perhaps it’s a side dish to your protein then you won’t go wrong with this roasted eggplant dish.
Bonus points – most of this can be prepared in advance, ready to be served for a dinner party!
Brinjal preparation
Aubergine retains a lot of water and can often be overlooked because people simply think of it as a mushy piece of cardboard. Well, I can tell you that I’ve been served my fair share of eggplant this way! For me, I simply eat it as baba ghanoush (a delicious smoky dip) or cubed and cooked to the point of caramelization like in this recipe. But, I am now 100% converted and you will be too!
Follow these simple steps to release moisture and maximize flavor from your roasted eggplant and you’ll be on your way to converting even the biggest anti-eggplant 😉
- First cut the brinjal in half lengthwise
- Using a sharp knife, cut a criss-cross pattern into the eggplant, being careful not to cut into the skin.
- Place the brinjals on a plate or tray (pulp side up) and sprinkle with salt. leave for 30 minutes
- After 30 minutes, turn the eggplants flesh side down and squeeze gently over the sink – this will remove a lot of excess moisture. Pat dry and repeat with other pieces
This will help give your roasted eggplant nice caramelization instead of a mushy brown color!
Eggplant or brinjal?
Is it roasted eggplant or roasted eggplant? It’s both! The word eggplant comes from France and most Europeans call them eggplants, but in America where the terms often differ, they call eggplants “eggplants.”
Aubergine, aka brinjal, is from the nightshade family (sounds good), which includes potatoes, tomatoes, peppers (or capsicum) and tobacco.
Generally we eat brinjal by cutting it into pieces, roasting it, making puree or even boiling it. It’s kind of a love/hate relationship, but I believe once you taste this Roasted Eggplant and Harissa Butter Dish you will notice more love than hate!
harissa butter
Sounds epic – and well, it is! For my version I made my own harissa – see the recipe here but you can also use store bought harissa. There are so many fabulous artisan products out there these days that you can get some epic versions of store-bought ones.
Once you’ve whipped up the harissa all you have to do is heat some butter and stir in the harissa – it’s that easy and trust me, it tastes great too! Once you drizzle some garlicky yogurt on top of your roasted brinjals, your opinion about brinjals will completely change.
TeaThe harissa butter needs to be made to order so it’s a last minute task – only takes a few minutes though 😉
wine pairing
What’s dinner like at another foodblogger’s house without alcohol? Yes, you guessed it, it’s actually called breakfast 😉
I’ve created a few recipes to pair with Marty from Mont Vine. Marty aka Monty creates small batch wines from the Mornington and Pyrenees regions of Victoria. Besides being a top guy who just got married – congratulations!!!, he creates some deliciously easy drinking numbers that are very affordable. For me, the best descriptor would be “value for money”.
This week we’re showcasing it pyrenees rose – A Shiraz made rosé of which only 92 cases were made. It has beautiful red berry flavours, subtle spice notes, dry but balanced acidity. There is a slight sweetness to it but it comes in the form of fruit sweetness versus sugar sweetness. Overall, this is a bottle that won’t last long with my roasted eggplant and harissa butter dish!
Alternative Eggplant Recipes
Are you inspired by my roasted eggplant dish and feel like you should give eggplant a second or third chance? Check out these recipes below for inspiration!!
Smoky Eggplant Baba Ghanoush By Etienne Corner of ‘Between 2 Kitchens’
Pork Tenderloin w/ Spicy Eggplant Yours Truly
Spicy Eggplant Stirfry By Amanda Logan of ‘My Goodness Kitchen’
Eggplant Involtini By Alexandra Cooke of It’s Not Complicated Recipes
Happy cooking and happy eating friends!!
Servings: 4 People
Calories: 612kilo calories
Prevent your screen from going dark
Material
- 4 Eggplant
- 3 Ladle olive oil
- Salt
Harissa (or use Shopbot)
- 1 red capsicum
- 5 red chilli 125 grams
- 1 Onions – finely chopped
- one and a half spoon Cumin
- one and a half spoon ground coriander
- 3 Ladle canola oil
- 2 cloves Garlic – Crushed
- 1 spoon Sugar
- 1 Ladle lemon juice
- 1 spoon red wine vinegar
- 1 Ladle tomato paste
- 1 spoon Salt
Other
- 400 Yes Greek yogurt
- 2 cloves Garlic – Crushed
- 100 Yes butter
- 1 Ladle harissa Store bought or recipe given below
- 1 green onion
- parsley
- mole
Instruction
Harissa (if making)
-
Roast chillies and red capsicum in barbeque or on gas flame
-
Place them in a bowl and cover with clingfilm to sweat – this makes them easier to peel
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Fry the garlic and onion on medium flame with oil – approx. 4 minutes
-
Add spices, sugar and tomato paste and cook for 2-3 minutes
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Remove from heat, peel the chilli/capsicum and cut off the green tops.
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Put the mixture of chilli, capsicum, onion and remaining ingredients in a blender and make a paste.
-
Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months
Eggplant
-
Cut the brinjal in half lengthwise and score the flesh in a criss-cross pattern – be careful not to cut all the way through
-
Sprinkle liberally with salt and leave the pulp to rise for 30 minutes.
-
Turn the eggplants over and gently squeeze them over the sink – this will remove excess moisture from the eggplants. pat dry with paper towel
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Apply olive oil to the brinjal pulp and place the pulp side down on baking paper on a tray.
-
Roast at 200 degrees Celsius for 45-60 minutes until soft and the pulp is nicely browned.
Other
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Mix together yogurt and crushed garlic
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Heat butter in a saucepan on low flame and add harissa paste to it
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Serve brinjal by drizzling curd over it and drizzling harissa butter on top. Finish with chopped green onions, chopped parsley and sesame seeds
notes
Tips & Tricks
- First of all, adding salt to brinjal helps in extracting moisture from its pulp.
- If your eggplant is browned enough for your liking, you can place it under the grill for a few minutes to caramelize the top.
- Eggplant can be pre-cooked and reheated to order in the oven/under the grill for a few minutes
- Harissa will keep in the fridge for 3 months
nutrition
Calories: 612kilo calories , Carbohydrates: 43Yes , Protein: 17Yes , thick: 45Yes , Saturated Fat: 8Yes , Polyunsaturated Fats: 10Yes , Monounsaturated Fats: 25Yes , Trans Fat: 1Yes , Cholesterol: 6MG , Sodium: 968MG , Potassium: 1412MG , Fiber: 16Yes , Sugar: 27Yes , Vitamin A: 2646iyu , vitamin C: 134MG , Calcium: 193MG , Iron: 2MG