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!
David Pincus says
Great recipe, my wife and I really loved it!
I didn’t have any tomato sauce, but I had a few tomatoes that I cooked down into tomato paste and then added water to make the sauce. Also added a few drops of liquid smoke and lemon juice.
Mary Leary says
Thank you so much – I’m addicted to the “eggplant salad” – more like a dip with solid pieces, seems to me – but anyway, that’s sold at a local market. Your recipe looks close to what I have been buying & that I wanted to know how to make. Thanks for taking the time to share it.
marlys says
It’s divine over rice! My picky vegetarian husband says, “This recipe is a keeper”! He gobbled it up 😊
ellen says
Made pretty much as written although substituted diced canned tomatoes instead of tomato sauce, since I didn’t have any. I also just dumped the tomatoes and spices directly in the pan with the eggplant because I couldn’t quite see a reason to do it separately so why not save a step and a dirty dish. Ate eggplant salad hot, but assume it will be much better tomorrow after it’s chilled and the flavors meld more. Great recipe. It’s now on the rotation.
Barry says
Wonderful recipe. Have made it a few times and really like it. Two changes I have made to adjust to our tastes at home: 1) Added granulated onion to it, and 2) Instead of water have added vegetable broth. I like the more complex taste profile.
Mark says
The best Israeli eggplant recipe! I could eat it everyday.
Barry says
I almost got tears in my eyes reading about Judith. My mother was the same. She would drive 20 miles one way just to get the ‘right’ meat or fish. Everything was from scratch- the chopped liver, kreplach, she grounded her own meat, etc. Coming home for the Holidays I would get upset because she would spend the entire day(s) cooking for us. Now, being older, I know it was her way of expressing her love for us. Thanks for reminding me.
Now…a question about the recipe 🙂 By tomato sauce do you mean right from the can and not spiced up with Italian seasoning, garlic, crushed tomatoes, etc? From your picture it looks like it’s plain and you let the spices from the rest of the recipe infuse with it. Just want to make sure because I automatically spruce up tomato sauce whenever I buy it. Looking forward to this 1st recipe of yours! They all sound great!
Tori Avey says
You are correct on the tomato sauce! Glad this post brought back good memories. Enjoy Barry. 🙂
Jacky Huempfner says
Tori,
Thank you so very much for your website. My husband and I were blessed to go to Israel at the end of 2016 and your website has inspired us in so many ways.
We love making this recipe exactly as you wrote it. We make it in our dutch oven after roasting each on cast iron skillets. I make it with one zucchini and one eggplant, as we always have a lot of zucchini to use up from the garden.
This is a very good recipe to have and pass down to future generations. Those are the best recipes to have! Thank you for sharing this one from your family!
Tori Avey says
Glad you enjoyed it! And glad you had a chance to visit Israel, it’s such an important trip to make. 🙂
Mindi Hartman says
Just made this recipe for the first time this week and loved it. Had it hot over brown rice and going to eat the leftovers either cold or room temperature to see which I like best. Have a feeling it will be delicious any which way.
luisa says
delicious!
suzy says
Love this recipe! Wonderful to eat at room temperature on a hot day!
ele says
very delicious, reminds me of turkish salads served in Turkey. the first recipe that comes close to taste! thank you
Betsey Terry says
i abolutely love this salad, we’ve been making it for about 25 years as well. We also add a bit of cilantro on the top when serving, and serve it with middle eastern flat bread! Love that there’s nutritional info! Cant wait to try the sheet pan method others used in the comments!!
mickey leonard says
Loved eating this on my recent visit to Israel. Made today and ate it warm with steak. Delicious! Couldn’t wait to let you know! TY for such a wonderful recipe.
Lisa says
Yum! We baked the eggplant on a sheet pan instead of frying and it came out great.
Christine says
I just did the same thing!! Saved time and also less oil. I’m on a very restricted diet. Weighed and measured food. I can measure a little oil for a serving or have olives with it instead. Fabulous recipes!!!
Johanna says
How long and what temp did you bake it?
Jessica says
I discovered this dish a couple of months ago and have now made it too many times to count! I almost always have some in my fridge. I often eat it with pasta or have it on toast for breakfast!
Helen Merritt says
Made this today (after trying to recreate a dish I had in Turkey in the 80s for all this time without success) This is the nearest to the tastes and textures that I remember thank you! I initially made it without the sugar or salt but it was quite bitter so added them in and cooked for a bit longer and was really lovely. Had it with warmed flatbreads and had let the recipe cool. I had sprinkled salt over the chopped aubergine and let it stand over night then gave it a quick rinse. I also cooked the peppers in the oven for a while before adding to the pan with the browned aubergine. I couldn’t get flaked peppers so used a teaspoon of a middle eastern mix with various ingredients including chillies and cumin then added another half teaspoon of cumin. Thank you again for the recipe – fab!
Rosemary Martin says
We just got back from Turkey. Eggplant is one of their favorite meals. I loved your recipe and added mushrooms. It is very similar to their recipes, but I will also try some of the baked eggplant recipes. I never cooked eggplant, not really been very fond of this Vedg, but my husband loves eggplant, he was very impressed. Thank you Rose
Marina says
Hi All , this is the best recipes and my family love it .I spice up more with red chillies and i cook eggplant and peppers in the oven . I love the way eggplant coming out from the oven ,its perfectly cooked ,do not forget to mix it .
Marina
Mary says
I have made this recipe 3 times and have added chickpeas to it for added protein. Amazing!!!! It is a shame that so many people don’t like eggplant; they really are missing out. Thanks for the wonderful recipe for this eggplant lover 🙂