Zaalouk - Creamy Tomato And Eggplant Dip
A traditional zaalouk made with roasted eggplant, tomatoes, garlic, and warm spices, cooked into a rich, creamy salad perfect served at room temperature.
Updated : 05 March, 2026
Easy
About 45 min.
Ingredients
5
Tomato
2
Eggplant
1 teaspoon
Ground cumin
1 teaspoon
Smoked paprika
20 grams
Garlic
80 grams
Olive oil
10 grams
Parsley
5 grams
Mint
6 grams
Salt
6 grams
Sugar
1
Lemon
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 250 °C / 482 °F. Place the eggplant in the oven and roast it until completely soft, which takes about 20 minutes. If it needs additional time, continue roasting until the flesh is fully cooked and tender.
Step 2
Once the eggplant is done, remove it from the oven and scoop out the flesh. Roughly chop the soft eggplant and set it aside until needed.
Step 3
Prepare the tomatoes (this step is optional if you prefer a more rustic texture). Blanch the tomatoes briefly, peel off the skins, and remove the seeds. Rub the seeds through a sieve to extract their juice. Dice the tomato flesh into large pieces and set them aside together with the extracted juice.
Step 4
To cook the zaalouk, heat oil in a skillet over high heat until it just begins to smoke. The eggplant and tomatoes contain a lot of water, and this step helps reduce the moisture and concentrate the flavours into a creamy, chunky mixture.
Step 5
Once the skillet is hot, reduce the heat to medium and add the chopped eggplant along with the garlic. Cook and stir for a few minutes, making sure the garlic does not burn.
Step 6
Add the tomatoes along with the reserved juice if you prepared the fresh tomatoes. Let the mixture stew for several minutes until the tomatoes begin to soften and break down.
Step 7
Stir in the spices, salt, and sugar, and continue cooking a little longer until the mixture thickens.
Step 8
The zaalouk is ready when the mixture is creamy and cohesive rather than watery. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Gradually add lemon juice to your preference, then mix in the chopped herbs.
Step 9
Allow the zaalouk to cool to room temperature before serving.
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