There is something so satisfying about letting an ingredient burn and char, filling the kitchen with eerie smog and heck, even setting off the smoke detector (whoops!), when you do it with an intention for delicious food.
It seems so wrong and yet tastes oh so right. Like those crispy bits on the top of a pasta bake or the scent of browning butter as you let it sizzle and foam in a saucepan. It’s the magic that takes flavour to the next dimension. The Maillard reaction gone out of control – rolling from simple caramelisation to smoky sweetness.
Burning aubergine has to be *the* most dramatic change in a vegetable you’ll ever see. The unassuming, plump flesh slumping down and becoming creamy, disguised by the crackled skin.
Silky, smoky aubergine with tart, unctuous labneh. A sweet-sour drizzle of pomegranate molasses, herby green notes from coriander oil and crunch from the pomegranate arils & pistachios. It’s a beautifully bright dish and takes extremely well to being attacked with a fork in one hand and a warm pita bread in the other.
Ingredients
For the labneh:
- 150 g plain Greek yogurt
- 2 cloves garlic , , minced or crushed
- 1 tbsp tahini
- salt
For the coriander oil:
- 20 g (a large handful) coriander leaves (save some leaves for sprinkling at the end)
- 80 ml extra virgin olive oil
For the rest:
- 2 medium aubergines
- 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- 20 g shelled pistachios , , roughly chopped
- large handful of pomegranate arils , (from about 1/4 pomegranate)
Instructions
To make the labneh:
- Place two layers of cheesecloth into a fine mesh seive (strainer) set over a medium bowl. Place the yogurt into the cheesecloth lined seive and set in the fridge overnight. Discard the liquid (whey) from the bowl. Tip the strained yogurt from the cheesecloth into a bowl and mix with the garlic, tahini and a pinch of salt.
To make the coriander oil:
- Blend together the coriander and olive oil - you can do this in a jug using a hand blender (immersion blender) or in a free-standing blender.
The rest:
- Place the aubergines over the lit burner of a gas hob. Leave to char, turning occasionally using kitchen tongs, until completely blackened all over. Let the aubergines cool then peel off the charred skin, leaving the stem intact.
- Spoon the labneh into a couple of bowls (or over a large serving platter) and spread it around with the back of a spoon. Top with the peeled aubergines then drizzle with the pomegranate molasses and coriander oil. Sprinkle with salt, the pistachios, pomegranate arils and reserved coriander leaves.
- Serve with flatbreads for scooping as a starter for 4 people OR with brown rice and grilled halloumi cheese as a main for 2 people.
Notes
*Thanks to Kimpton Hotels for sponsoring this post & providing the inspiration via their Culinary & Cocktails Trend report.
Wait, is it possible to switch off the smoke detector??? I can’t even pan fry zucchini without that thing starting ringing!!
This plate looks delicious btw ^_^
This looks fabulous…….must have it!!!
This looks delicious and such beautiful photos! And your post was very well written and interesting to read too. Thanks!
So beautiful and tasty! I love the flavour combinations here, they are so thoughtful 🙂
This is just stunning. And it sounds incredibly delicious too!
This looks incredibly delicious! Please do share what you find from your lit review; I’m personally convinced most of our modern health issues stem from gut microbe imbalances. If you’d like a great book to read on the topic, check out Digestive Wellness by Liz Lipski!
This is gorgeous! All the different flavours make this dish. Excellent
I made this for dinner tonight and it was divine! I will have it over and over again!