Ingredients

The following ingredients have 16 Servings
  • 1.2 kg / 42 oz (4 medium) aubergines
  • olive oil (optional)
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 135 g / 1½ cups walnuts
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
  • 15-30 ml / 1-2 tbsp lemon juice
  • ½ tsp ground coriander
  • ½ tsp smoked sweet paprika
  • ¼ tsp ground cumin
  • ¼ tsp whole fenugreek seeds*, crushed finely
  • 10 ml / 2 tsp date syrup, maple syrup or pomegranate molasses*
  • 10 ml / 2 tsp walnut oil, optional
  • fresh herbs (coriander, parsley, mint or basil), to garnish
  • pomegranate seeds or quick-pickled red onion, to garnish

Instruction

  • Cut your aubergines into 1 cm / 0.4" slices lengthwise. Heat up a griddle pan (you can also use a low heat area of your BBQ). Once the pan is hot, brush eggplant slices with a little bit of oil, season with salt and place them on the grill. Decrease the heat to low and allow the eggplants to grill slowly (about 10 minutes on each side initially - then a little less as the pan gets hotter) until cooked through and charred. Brush the other side with oil and grill the other side for 10 minutes. You will need to do them in batches. Alternatively, you could also cook them in the oven (without any oil if preferred), like in this recipe. As soon as the eggplant slices come off the pan, roll them up whilst they are still warm.
  • OPTIONAL: While the eggplants are charring, toast the walnuts on a dry frying pan or in a 160° C / 320° F until golden, about 10 minutes. You can skip this step but I find that it really enhances the flavour.
  • OPTIONAL: Grate the garlic and place it in a small bowl with 1 tbsp of lemon juice - it will make the garlic taste more mellow without the need to cook it.
  • Once the walnuts are cool, crush in a pestle and mortar or grind them in a food processor. I prefer the former as it allows me to control the texture better and I like to leave the filling a little chunky to contrast with the smooth eggplant flesh. If you prefer it to be smooth and creamy, use a food processor.
  • Season the walnuts with lemon juice and garlic mixture, ground spices, date syrup and salt and pepper. Finally trickle a bit of hot water (I used 90 ml / 6 tbsp) to the walnuts while processing / crushing them by hand and a touch of walnut oil (you can use olive oil or skip) to make the filling less crumbly.
  • Unfurl eggplant slices, place a heaped teaspoon of the mixture at the widest end of the slice and roll the eggplant up tightly (you can use wooden toothpicks to hold them in place).
  • Arrange on a plate / platter, decorate with chopped herbs and pomegranate seeds (or diced pickled onion if pomegranates are out of season).