My husband’s mother Judith was a wonderful cook. She was a sixth-generation Sephardic Jew from Israel, born on Carmel Mountain in Haifa. Judith was first and foremost a family woman who devoted her life to creating a warm and cozy home. She would spend her days in the kitchen and tending the vegetable garden, providing nurturing sustenance for her family. She cooked on a tiny tin stove and made everything from scratch. Her kitchen was full of love.
Unfortunately, I never had a chance to meet Judith. She passed away before I came into my husband’s life. Despite this, I still feel her presence strongly in our home, especially when we have family gatherings. Everybody speaks of the amazing meals she cooked, how she would spend hours and hours preparing a single meal. It amazes me how food has this power to pass on positive energy. A meal made with love can go on living long after the chef who created it is gone.
My husband’s sister Mooshi takes after her mom. She cooks with love and care, recreating Judith’s beloved dishes as well as her own creations. Last week, she shared a couple of her favorite eggplant recipes with me. I especially loved the following recipe, a cooked eggplant salad with peppers and tomatoes. It’s healthy and surprisingly filling, without any added meat or dairy. It’s meant to be served with bread, like challah– the bread can be dipped into the delicious sauce. As we cooked, Mooshi explained to me that eggplant was a staple in their childhood home. Judith often cooked eggplant because it was widely available and inexpensive. Both Mooshi and my husband adore eggplant, and now I understand why. It reminds them of Judith, of mom, of home. I hope you will enjoy this simple recipe as much as we do!
Note: If you’re gluten free, you can enjoy this recipe on its own or served as a vegan stew over rice or quinoa.
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Mooshi's Eggplant Salad
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 red or yellow bell peppers, seeded and cut into chunks
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 15 ounces tomato sauce (1 can)
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste - omit for low carb)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
NOTES
Instructions
- Peel the eggplant in stripes, keeping a few strips of skin intact so they run down the sides of the eggplant vertically. These strips of skin will help to hold the chunks of eggplant together; they also add flavor.
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium. Cut the eggplant into 1-inch chunks. Put half of the chunks into the skillet and let them fry for about 10 minutes.
- When the cubes begin to turn golden brown, transfer them to a larger pot. Add 2 tbsp of olive oil to the skillet and fry the second batch of eggplant chunks the same way, for about 10 minutes till golden brown. Transfer the chunks to the large pot.
- Add 2 tbsp of olive oil to the skillet and add the bell pepper chunks. Let them fry for about 3 minutes. Add the minced garlic and continue to fry for 2 more minutes, till the garlic is fragrant.
- Transfer peppers and garlic to the large pot.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the tomato sauce, water, cumin, salt, sugar, crushed red pepper flakes and black pepper.
- Pour the liquid mixture into the large pot and bring all ingredients to a boil.Reduce heat to a medium-low simmer and cover the pot, leaving a small gap open to vent. Let the mixture slowly simmer for 1 hour till sauce is thickened and reduced. Remove from heat.
- This cooked salad can be served hot or cold depending on preference. Our family enjoys it at room temperature. You can serve it with freshly baked bread if you wish. If you’re gluten free, you can enjoy this recipe on its own or served as a vegan stew over rice or quinoa.
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
Anonymous says
This was delicious!! Served it on Shabbos with challah and dips and we couldn’t get enough!
Taube says
It was easy and delicious! I love love love the flavors. Thank you.
Donna says
Can I give this recipe a million stars? I wish that was an option. Let me tell you, I made this recipe and my entire family keeps asking me to make it again. Even family members that absolutely cannot stand eggplant in any form, were asking for a second taste. I spiced it to make it more “Israeli”. I added: 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp cayenne chilly powder, 1/2 tsp smoked chilly flakes paprika mixture (I used the one from Victoria gourmet), 1/2 tsp curry, 1/4 tsp tumaric. It was not spicy at all, and family members that don’t like spicy food enjoyed the little kick of flavor. I used to buy this salad in Israeli grocery stores, and I am glad that I finally found the recipe for this salad.
Allison says
I made this for dinner last night and it was fantastic! I thought it had the perfect amount of spice to it. We ate it warm with bread.
Andina says
I love this recipe I have made it so many times now, it always goes down well and so easy to make.
Bella says
Love your recipes Tori. Followed recipe exactly, the eggplant wasn’t as soft as I would have liked them to be.
Tori Avey says
Sorry to hear that Bella. Next time you can try cooking it a bit longer (if it seems to be getting dry add water as needed), or you can cut the eggplant pieces a bit smaller. This will help to soften them up more quickly. I hope you enjoyed the flavor!
Tali says
I really like this recipe even though it’s very time consuming to make. I added extra garlic and also before serving, I stirred chopped fresh dill and coriander. The fresh herbs made it taste WAY better. I’d definitely recommend adding them.
Traci says
Made exactly as directed, and let me tell you – this is AMAZING! We ate it warm just off of the stove, because we were hungry. Served with a sourdough bread. Can’t wait to make it again! Thanks for a great recipe!
Helen Hill says
Chilling now for our Shabbat dinner this evening – couldn’t get enough of the sample tastes! YUMMY!
Jam says
lovely recipe..my husband loves it..so.do i
julie says
healthy amd delicious. i made it for a mediterranean themed dinner party with your chicken shawarma , tabouleh, hummus amd tahini sauce recipes and all were delicious. rave reviews from all guests.
Lisa says
Hi, Tori, I was looking for a middle-eastern recipe for my shul’s Sukkot potluck tonight. This is perfect! I made a few minor changes – I subbed zucchini for one eggplant, roasted the eggplant and squash using your method, used olive oil pan spray, and omitted the sugar (roasting seems to sweeten the vegetables). It’s a beautiful dish and as I’ve just tested it, delicious! My husband agrees.
I am looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
Tori Avey says
Great Lisa! Chag Sukkot Sameach.
Rae says
Tori,
After having tasted Rebbetzin Rachel Druk’s eggplant salad in Cancun recently, I was most eager to find a recipe like hers. Yours filled the bill. It’s delicious. Can’t wait to try some of you other recipes.
Thank you for Mooshi’s Eggplant Salad
Tori Avey says
You’re welcome Rae!
Hal says
I’m hosting my very first seder tomorrow night! Can I make this recipe today and serve it tomorrow?
Tori Avey says
Absolutely!
Mia says
Fab recipe! I want to make this to serve at my seder (night #2), but we are going to be at my in-laws the weekend before and for night #1. Can I make it the week before and then freeze it? Or will it hold for 5 days? Any ideas?
Tori Avey says
Hi Mia! I have never frozen this before, so no promises, but I think it will probably freeze well. What I would do is cook it for 45 minutes (instead of an hour), then after defrosting reheat and let it continue to cook for a final 10-15 minutes till thickened and reduced. This way it won’t overcook when reheating. Enjoy!
Jeffrey Sock says
Hi, we make it all the time. Made it for Pesach and had a lot left over, it froze and thawed perfectly.
mamie says
This was delicious! I had leftover roasted eggplant cubes from an eggplant buying binge–there was a big sale! I made this a couple days after roasting the eggplant, and it was a huge hit with my husband and 19 month old. Served over Brown rice for them and spaghetti squash for me. Thank you!
Tori Avey says
Great Mamie! Glad to hear it. 🙂
Sara says
Thanks Tori
For your reply
Any time you want to share with a Mexican
Recipe let me know
More than welcome to share
Sara
SARA says
TORI
SOME PEOPLE ADD SALT TO EGGPLANT WHEN IS RAW, AND LET STAND FOR A FEW MINUTES
TO TAKE THE BITTER TASTE
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS PRACTICE?
THANKS
I ENJOY YOUR WEBSITE AND POSITIVE YOU ARE A WINNER,
LOVE THE WAY U PRESENT PICTURE SEQUENCE
I AM A MEXICAN JEW NOW AN AMERICAN RESIDENT TOO
Tori Avey says
Hi Sara, salting is done to remove bitterness from eggplants. Most eggplants aren’t naturally bitter, but every once in a while you might run across a bitter one. If you are concerned about it, you can certainly salt the eggplant before making this dish. Best to let it stand for at least 1/2 hour, until lots of moisture droplets bead on the eggplant flesh. Just be sure to rinse the eggplant well to get rid of excess salt and pat the eggplant pieces dry before proceeding with the recipe.
Debbie says
It is delicious but I used WAY more oil than you. It just kept soaking it up and I was afraid it would burn so I added more. How did you manage to use so little and getting it still to brown?
Tori Avey says
Hi Debbie– try using a nonstick skillet for the frying step, that should help.
Cat says
Looks yummy! I will need to get some cumin asap. 🙂