Shared by Uriel Benzrihem
Shared by Uriel Benzrihem
Fried Eggplant with Garlic and Cumin
Yield: 4 servingsTime: 20 minutes, plus 30 minutes inactive
Fried Eggplant with Garlic and Cumin
Yield: 4 servingsTime: 20 minutes, plus 30 minutes inactiveFamily Journey
Fez, MoroccoLod, Israel
New York City
When when Uriel Benzrihem was little, his mother Pnina started Shabbat dinner every Friday with a Moroccan chickpea stew served with fish, fried eggplant with garlic and cumin, and matbucha with jalapeño.
The family recipe for eggplant is simple and only requires a few ingredients. But technique is key here. Salting the eggplant for 30 minutes helps draw out moisture and bitterness. And this isn't the recipe to skimp on oil, frying the slices of eggplant in 1-inch of oil produces rich and silky slices. The residual heat from the oil meanwhile will help mellow the garlic, which you can finely chop, but we prefer to crush or grate it with a microplane for a smoother texture.
Read more about Uriel's family in "For Five Generations, This Family Has Marked Fridays With Chickpeas" and try his recipe for Moroccan chickpea stew with fish and .
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant, peeled with vertical stripes and sliced into ½ inch pieces crosswise
- Kosher salt
- Vegetable or any neutral oil for frying
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped, crushed, or grated
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
Preparation
Step 1
Place the eggplant slices onto a tray in one layer. Sprinkle both sides of the eggplant with a pinch of kosher salt. Set aside for 30 minutes. Pat the eggplants dry with a towel.
Step 2
Fill a large, heavy-bottomed pan, with 1-inch of oil and set over high heat. Once the oil is sizzling, gently place about five eggplant slices into the pan in one layer and fry on both sides until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes per side. Transfer the fried eggplants onto a paper towel-lined tray and continue frying the remaining eggplant slices in batches.
Step 3
Plate the eggplant slices in one layer on a platter. Sprinkle the garlic and cumin over the eggplant slices. Serve warm.
