This roasted eggplant is slathered with a fragrant chermoula paste (made from scratch) then roasted until soft and gooey, and topped with a fresh herb couscous. It only takes 15 minutes to prepare, is a great make ahead dish and absolutely divine as a starter or a meal.
It is meaty enough to have on its own as a main, accompanied with a light salad, like my Middle Eastern Chickpea Salad (suggest excluding the chickpeas though) or Pasta alla Norma.
Middle Eastern Roasted Eggplant
The roasted eggplant is shown here with a dollop of yoghurt, but I’ve also provided a Tahini Drizzle (vegan) which I also love to use. This is a must try recipe!!
This is a recipe adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem cookbook (the Chermoula Aubergine with Bulgar & Yoghurt recipe). I am obsessed with this cookbook, and you’ll see many more recipes on this blog inspired by recipes from it. I usually make them healthier (by reducing oil and butter) and find nifty little shortcuts without sacrificing taste!
This recipe is a great make ahead recipe as it can be served warm or at room temperature. Also you can make the eggplant and couscous ahead, and just reheat the eggplant in the oven (or keep it warm covered in foil) when you want to serve it.
More ways with eggplant
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Greek Moussaka (Eggplant Beef Bake) – the Greek version of Italian lasagna, made with layers of eggplant instead of pasta sheets. Epic!
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Moroccan Baked Eggplant with Beef – smeared with spices, baked until soft and topped with Moroccan spiced beef
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Grilled Eggplant with Yoghurt Sauce – simple and fabulous!
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Grilled Miso Glazed Japanese Eggplant – caramelised with a Japanese miso glaze!
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Eggplant is also commonly used in Thai Red and Green Curry
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Pasta alla Norma – a classic Sicilian eggplant pasta that’s also 100% vegetarian
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Middle Eastern Roasted Eggplant with Couscous
Ingredients
- 2 medium eggplants
Chermoula
- 2 garlic cloves , crushed
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 1 tsp paprika
- Rind of 1 medium lemon
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
Couscous
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup couscous
- 1/4 cup sultanas or currants
- 3/4 cup boiling water
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped green olives
- 1/4 cup flaked almonds , dry toasted on stove or in oven
- 1/4 cup scallions or spring onion , chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (coriander) and mint (1/4 cup together)
- Black pepper
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F/180C.
- Slice the eggplant lengthwise, then use small knife to make diagonal criss cross scores deep into the eggplant, making sure you don't cut the skin. (See notes)
- Combine the chermoula ingredients and mix into a paste. Slather onto the eggplant.
- Place on baking tray, flesh side up, and roast for 40 minutes until completely soft. The cooking time will vary depending on the size of the eggplant you are using.
- Place the couscous, salt and sultanas into a bowl, add the boiling water and cover for 5 minutes.
- Fluff the couscous with a fork, add the remaining ingredients and toss through to combine. Adjust seasoning to your taste.
- To serve, pile each eggplant high with couscous, finish with a dollop of yoghurt (see notes for vegan alternative) and garnish with cilantro. Best served warm but also delicious at room temperature.
Recipe Notes:
We had a very similar dish in a Vienna georgian restaurant, CafĂ© Ansari, during our vacations, and I was dying to recreate that taste of delicious, carefree holidays! I should have known the answer would be, as always, on your wonderful blog. Thank you for this great recipe, another winner as usual, it’s absolutely wonderful and my whole family agreed that your couscous was even better from the one at the restaurant!
I am slightly confused by the listing of lemon rind as an ingredient. I guess you mean the zest of a lemon?
This was so good! After moving out of home I struggled to consistently find recipes that were easy and delicious – it would be quite hit and miss depending on what we made.
Since stumbling onto your blog, it’s the only place I get recipes from and every meal turns out so good. I’ve made so many I’ve Iost count! Thanks Nagi for making cooking good food so easy and accessible 🙂
I love eggplant and I love this dish! The flavors are savory without being too hot/spicy. The first time I made this, cous cous was not to be found in the two different grocery stores ( Covid makes for weird breaks in the food supply chain), so I subbed lentils. Since then I have stuck with the lentils because I like them better and they tasted great. Also, can’t find currants around here so subbed raisins (also tried cranberries, but they were too sweet). Love this with tahini, though quite good with yogurt as well. If I’m making eggplant, this is the dish my husband now requests. Thanks Nagi!
This was delicious Nagi. Thank you for another great recipe. Every part was very tasty. My new favourite way to eat eggplant. 10/10 🙂
This was amazing, it has even inspired me to try and grow eggplant now. I subbed with cranberries in the couscous, so yummy! Thank you.
Hi Nagi,
Made this with some home grown eggplants from a neighbor. My husband doesn’t usually like eggplants , but he LOVED this recipe. It’s absolutely delicious! This is definitely a keeper and will be making it again. Thanks.
This was crazy delicious & I didn’t even dress up the couscous. My husband doesn’t love eggplant but he really enjoyed this dish. I will definitely make it again. Thanks, as ever!
That’s so fantastic to hear Fiona! Thank you for letting me know! N xx
I made this for dinner last night with some similiarly seasoned chicken and it was yummy. My eggplants were slightly on the bitter side and I blame myself for rushing through and not salting/sweating them beforehand
otherwise, it was a tasty dish and the couscous was good even on its own.
will make again
very yummy
Hi Judi! Thank you so much for coming back to share your feedback! I’m very glad you enjoyed this. It is inspired by one of my all time favourite chefs (OK, more than that, I have a foodie crush on him!) – Yotam Ottolenghi. He makes the BEST meat free dishes!! 🙂
Have a wonderful Easter!