Georgian-Style Salad with Crispy Eggplant and Tomatoes
Healthy, tasty, and simple! A salad and a great side for meat. This Georgian-style salad with crispy eggplant and tomatoes is for those who like salads without mayonnaise. Deep-fried eggplant, ripe tomatoes, herbs, and an interesting dressing - gourmet heaven.
Updated : 05 February, 2026
Easy
About 30 min.
Ingredients
1
Eggplant
2
Tomato
60 grams
Curd cheese
2 tablespoon
Chili sauce
8 grams
Mint
8 grams
Cilantro
8 grams
Basil
2 tablespoon
Olive oil
2 tablespoon
Sesame oil
2 tablespoon
Starch
1 tablespoon
Sunflower seeds
1 teaspoon
Sesame
250 milliliters
Vegetable oil
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
How do you make Georgian-style salad with crispy eggplant and tomatoes? Prepare the necessary ingredients. Choose a large, firm eggplant - fresh, not limp - with taut, shiny skin.
Step 2
Wash and pat the eggplant dry, then cut it into large cubes. Put the pieces in a bowl, salt them, and leave for 5-7 minutes. Drain off the released liquid and pat the eggplant dry.
Step 3
While the eggplant is salting, prep the rest. Cut the tomatoes into large pieces. Choose ripe, juicy but firm tomatoes - soft ones won’t hold their shape and will turn to mush.
Step 4
Wash all the herbs, pat dry, and chop coarsely.
Step 5
Toast sunflower seeds and sesame seeds separately in a dry skillet until golden. If your sunflower seeds are already roasted, you don’t need to toast them again. You can swap them for a ready-made seed mix for salads, or use just one: sesame or sunflower seeds.
Step 6
Coat the eggplant cubes in cornstarch on all sides. A plastic bag works well for this.
Step 7
Heat vegetable oil in a saucepan and deep-fry the eggplant in batches until crisp and golden. Stir occasionally so the pieces don’t stick together and fry evenly. It’s important to fry the eggplant at the very end, when the other vegetables are already chopped, because the salad is best served warm, while the eggplant is hot and crunchy.
Step 8
Transfer the fried eggplant to paper towels to absorb excess oil.
Step 9
In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, herbs, eggplant, olive oil, sesame oil, and chili sauce. Gently toss, trying not to crush the tomatoes. Dress the salad right before serving; otherwise, the eggplant will soften.
Step 10
Transfer the salad to a serving platter or salad bowl. Top with small quenelles of curd cream cheese. Sprinkle with sesame and sunflower seeds. Serve immediately while the eggplant stays crunchy - after 15 minutes or longer it will turn soft. Enjoy your meal!
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