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Warm Eggplant Salad with Ottoman Spice Mix

Warm Eggplant Salad with Ottoman Spice Mix

We ordered this dish as part of a mezze (appetizer) platter in Turkey, and I’ll have to admit I wasn’t expecting it to wow me.

My experience with eggplant was of having a few poorly made, deep fried eggplant parmesan dishes. Mushy and tasteless.

I’m glad I ordered this warm eggplant salad because it officially changed my mind about eggplant.

Combined with roasted pepper and tomato along with the Turkish spice mix results in a bright and spicy flavor that was a perfect addition to the mezze platter.

After making it at home and having some leftovers, I’ve also discovered that it is really nice filling for an omelet!

Afiyet Olsun (Enjoy your meal in Turkish)

Looking for additional recipes using eggplant? Here are a few more you might enjoy!

Ingredients

2 Medium Eggplants

2 Medium Tomatoes

1 Medium Red Bell Pepper

4 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1/2 White Onion (minced)

2 Cloves Garlic (minced)

1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste

1/2 Teaspoon (each) Cumin, Sumac, Oregano, Dried Mint, Dried Hot Red Pepper Flakes, Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Allspice

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Parsley, Minced as a garnish

Lemon Wedges

Method

Roast the red bell pepper together with the tomatoes in a 350 degree oven until they are soft and begin to slightly blacken.

Remove 1/2 of the skin of the eggplant and cut it into 1/2 inch cubes. Saute the cubes in a saute pan with olive oil until it begins to brown (approximately 10 minutes). Place the eggplant into a sauce pan and put aside.

In the same pan saute the garlic and onion until translucent, and then add them to the sauce pan with the eggplant.

Remove the skin from the tomato and roughly chop the roasted vegetables, then add them to the sauce pan.

Add 2 teaspoons of the dry spices, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 cup of water and the tomato paste to the pan. Stir and bring it to a boil, then cover and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Continue to cook until the eggplant becomes soft (approximately 30 mintues).

Allow the mixture to cool. Serve with chopped parsley, lemon wedges, and the bread of your choosing.

Pin the recipe for later:Warm Eggplant Salad

More Turkish recipes you might enjoy and combine to make your own mezze (appetizer) platter:

Curried Black-Eyes Peas

Turkish Meatballs – Kofte

Yogurt Dip with Jalapeno and Fresh Herbs

 

 

Peggy

Tuesday 8th of June 2021

I wonder why you don’t add all of the spice mixture to the eggplant and the veggies in the saucepan. Am I missing something? I don’t see anything else about the spice mixture.