I used to be vehemently opposed to eggplant as a food. I hated it. Then I realized that babaganouj was generally okay. So that was the exception, but eggplant was still terrible in general. Then I discovered that eggplant parmesan was good. And so was fish-fragrant eggplant (as long as it was appropriately fried and garlic-y). And baingan bharta. So, I started thinking that maybe eggplant wasn't so bad after all.

I went through a similar process with chickpeas. And now I love them. Unfortunately eggplant hasn't followed quite the same path. While I no longer avoid it outright, I still find it very hit and miss. I still find it really gross a lot of the time. But then sometimes it's completely delicious!

I honestly wasn't holding out much hope for this particular recipe. Frying the eggplant gives it a leg up, sure. But it didn't seem to have much else going for it. Just fried eggplant with a bit of charmoula. And while charmoula is very good, I wasn't sure it'd be enough to make this dish tasty. But, I've been surprised by recipes before. So I figured it was worth a try. And I'm very glad that I did try it! It was wonderful! Easily my favourite dish of the meal (which also included chickpeas, carrot salad, and tagine bread.

Eggplant with Charmoula

Slightly adapted from The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert

Ingredients

Charmoula

• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. sweet paprika
• 1/8 tsp. ground cayenne
• 3/4 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 3 Tbsp. lemon or orange juice
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil

Eggplant

• 2 eggplants (~680g)
• coarse sea salt
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

1. Combine all the charmoula ingredients and set aside.
2. Slice the eggplant ~2cm thick and salt both sides.
3. Place in a colander -- make sure it's not aluminum! -- and place a paper towel and something heavy on top. Set aside for 30-60 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease a baking sheet.
5. Pat the eggplant dry and brush with olive oil on both sides.
6. Place on prepared baking sheet in a single layer.
7. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for ~30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
8. Heat the remaining oil over medium-high heat.
9. Add the eggplant slices (a couple at a time) to the hot oil and fry until both sides are brown (~1 minute/side).
10. Allow excess oil to drain from fried eggplant, then transfer to shallow serving dish.
11. Whisk the charmoula well, then drizzle it over the eggplant.
12. Sprinkle with parsley and cilantro.
13. Let stand for at least 1 hour before serving.