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Spicy Egyptian Eggplant with Fresh Herbs
The inspiration for this recipe was btingan mekhalel, a spicy, vinegary deep-fried eggplant dish sold by street vendors in Cairo. We learned our version from Abo Ahmed Sheta, who runs the café El-Gahsh. We made a lighter, easier and oven-friendly version of the dish. Because broilers vary in heat output, check the eggplant for doneness after 10 minutes. For the same reason, it also may need longer than called for. The pieces should be tender and lightly charred, but not falling apart. Harissa is a North African red pepper paste seasoned with spices and other ingredients; our favorite brand is DEA, which usually is sold in a yellow tube. Serve warm or at room temperature.
4
Servings
Tip
Don't allow the eggplant to cool before tossing it with the harissa mixture. As they cool, the chunks absorb the flavorings. Allow the mixture to stand for at least 10 minutes before serving.
40 minutes
Ingredients
-
1
tablespoon coriander seeds
-
1
tablespoon cumin seeds
Directions
-
01In a small skillet over medium, toast the coriander and cumin, shaking the pan, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a spice grinder and let cool slightly, then pulse until coarsely ground; set aside.
Reviews
February 15, 2025
Great flavors, especially after cooking eggplant longer
Easy to adjust spices, reduced sweetness, alter amounts depending on the number of diners. I prefer cooking eggplant planks and broiling longer until very soft, flipping after 12 minutes and cooking a further 8 minutes or so. Then cutting into bite-sized pieces before plunking the pieces into the sauce.
September 9, 2024
Spicy and Tasty
Didn't have dill, or cider vinegar. Substituted red wine vinegar and just mint and everything was great. Enough of a spice tingle but not an everlasting burn. Used home grown Japanese eggplant that was split, oiled and grilled. Cut into pieces afterwards and then tossed in the harissa dressing. Easier prep work with good results
May 23, 2022
Excellent!
Followed recipe as written and loved it. The sauce is delicious!
April 18, 2026
Delicious recipe but there’s a Printing issue
Just a heads up that step three is not included in the print area.
Loved the flavors
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"Really, REALLY, good!" was my hubby's two bits as we enjoyed this dish for dinner tonight. We made it per recipe for technique and ingredients except for substituting cilantro for the dill - cooking in the time of covid19 and fresh dill was not to be found but fresh cilantro was on hand in our kitchen - and for scaling recipe back by about 1/4 since we started with about 1 1/2 lb eggplant (v 2 lb of full recipe). It should have fed 3 people but it was just so REALLY REALLY good that we ate it all between 2 of us . Particularly delicious along with some Israeli Hummus (made per Milk Street recipe) and pita bread. The agrodolce Harissa based dressing, the texture added by the toasted lightly ground spices, the fresh herbs all with the just right broiled eggplant cubes was perfect. Easy too. Keeper. Fav.