Morocco is often associated with pointy-top tagines imbued with bold flavours, subtle spices, usually served with couscous. The Arabic food language of Morocco sounds as delicious as the cuisine tastes. Without even knowing what the words, kefta, bastilla, rfisa and zeilook (also referred to as Zaalook) mean, at the very least, one cannot help but be intrigued. This particular dish, also popular with Moroccans and our diners, is a fresh-tasting dip consisting of aubergines, fresh coriander and tomatoes.
Recipe by: GOLD Restaurant
Serves: 8-10 people (as a starter, side dish or party snack)
Difficulty: Easy
Preparation: 40 minutes
Cooking: 20 minutes
Ingredients
t = teaspoon
T= tablespoon
- 900g fresh aubergines (egg plant or brinjal)
- 3 t salt
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 ripe medium tomatoes, chopped
- 5 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 t ground cumin
- 1 t sweet paprika
- ½ cup lemon juice
- 1 large bunch fresh coriander (depending on taste preference you could use more or less)
Method
- Vertically remove strips of skin from each eggplant thus leaving the inner flesh exposed.
- Cut the flesh into 1cm-thick slices.
- Salt the slices and leave to drain for 30 minutes.
- Heat the oil in a thick-bottomed pan and fry your aubergine slices until each side is well browned. Place the browned fried pieces on paper for 2-3 minutes or so to drain excess oil – aubergine absorbs oil.
- Using a blender, mash the fried aubergine, tomatoes, garlic, spices, fresh coriander and lemon juice. Serve warm or cold.
Tip: You can make it in advance. Sealed zeilook keeps very well in the refrigerator for a week.
