How to Make Middle Eastern Eggplant and Yogurt Salad Asian Cooking Recipe Cuisine

Middle East Eggplant and Yogurt Salad

This recipe was taken from centuries old cooking techniques and when possible applied modern cooking methods and/or ingredients.  It uses Asian cooking styles, Asian Spices, Asian Sauces and Asian Ingredients.  The style of cooking may have a slight alteration while still maintaining the dish's overall purpose.  In this blog we touch on recipes that may be predominant for the Chinese Cuisines.  We will also share recipes based upon country, or regions such as: Burma, Cambodia, Indian, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Tibet and Vietnam.  Some cuisines are considered South Asian, South East Asian, Central Asian and/or Middle Eastern and may not be strictly connected to a specific country or culture.

Recipe Makes for 4 Servings:

1 pound eggplant, preferably small ones

1 medium onion, minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

I½ cups yogurt, preferably whole-milk

Salt and black pepper to taste

Pinch of cayenne

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or mint leaves

Directions:

Start a charcoal or wood fire or preheat a gas grill (or the broiler); the rack should be no more than 4 inches from the heat source. Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise up to the stem, but do not cut through. Spread about two thirds of the onion and garlic between the eggplant halves and press the halves back together.

Grill the eggplants, turning once or twice, until they are blackened and collapsed, 10 to 15 minutes. Don't worry if the skin burns a bit. 

Meanwhile, mix the remaining garlic and onion with the yogurt; season to taste with salt, pepper, and a little cayenne.
When cooked, let the eggplants cool a bit, then peel off the skins and let cool further. 

Roughly chop the eggplants, reserving any juices, then mix with the yogurt dressing. Chill if time allows or serve at room temperature; in either case, garnish with the parsley or mint

Find Local Asian Markets

For the adventurous palate, a great side dish that compliments this recipe is Jaew Bong.  Discover more about Jaew Bong, check out www.jaewbong.com.

Enjoy..

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