Fried aubergines with date syrup and zhoug by Bubala

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Fried aubergines with date syrup and zhoug

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Fried aubergines with date syrup and zhoug

Middle Eastern

Sharing plate

1 hour

Vegetables/vegetarian

Easy

Serves

A dish that has been with us since the very beginning (our pop up days which ran for a year and a half before finding our home in Spitalfields), is our famous aubergine with date syrup and zhoug. It is a magical combination of salty crispy fried aubergine, sweet and sticky date syrup and zhoug which is a MIddle Eastern spicy coriander sauce.

Recipe courtesy of

Ingredients

2 aubergines
1 tbsp of Maldon salt
vegetable oil, for deep-frying
50ml of date syrup

For the Zhoug

3 garlic cloves, peeled
3 green chillies
1 bunch of coriander, roughly chopped
300ml of rapeseed oil
1 tbsp of hawaij spice mix, available from Middle Eastern stores
25ml of lemon juice
1/2 tsp Maldon salt

Method

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Method

Cut the aubergines into 2cm-thick discs and place in a bowl with the salt. Toss until well combined, then set aside for 45 minutes to draw out the liquid
Meanwhile, make the zhoug. Place the garlic and chilli in a blender and blitz until very finely chopped. Add the coriander and blitz again, then add the oil in two batches, pulsing as you go. You want the sauce to be combined but not fully emulsified. Season the zhoug with the lemon juice, hawaij spices and salt. Set aside until ready to serve
Once the aubergines have been salted for 45 minutes, rinse and squeeze out any remaining moisture. Pour vegetable oil into a deep, heavy-bottomed pan until it is 3 inches deep and bring to 180°C. Deep-fry the aubergine slices in batches until golden (which should take around 3-4 minutes), then drain on kitchen paper
To serve, arrange slices of aubergine on a plate and spoon over a generous amount of the zhoug. Finish with a drizzle of date syrup and serve hot

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