Pan-Fried Eggplant Recipe with Yogurt, Mint, and Sumac
Welcome to SAVEUR’s column on earning the most of regional create according to chef and recipe developer Fatima Khawaja. This is wherever you are going to discover creative, unfussy food suggestions furthermore plenty of cooking advice—like what to do with that bumper crop of zucchini or how to keep sensitive heirloom tomatoes. Comply with along, and you’ll discover how to switch the season’s bounty into easy plant-centered foods that’ll be on the table in below an hour.
Confession time: I’ve hardly ever genuinely cared for eggplant, unless it was breaded and deep fried, but not long ago I found a different way to appreciate the berry (certainly, it’s a fruit). I salt it, coat it in spices, then shallow-fry it right up until gentle, right before topping the whole detail off with a dollop of yogurt and scattered mint leaves and sumac.
Significant globe eggplants can be bitter, a challenge conveniently mitigated by peeling the skin, salting the flesh in advance of time, or the two. Lesser globes, dainty “fairy tail” kinds, and slender Japanese eggplants, if you can discover them, are sweeter and don’t need any these kinds of prepwork.
All eggplant varieties acquire wonderfully to this recipe and innumerable other folks from our archive which includes this vegetarian gratin that will transportation you to France. But really don’t miss out on out on the common blend of eggplant and yogurt in my taste-packed weeknight favored.
Substances
- 1 huge world eggplant (1½ lbs.), minimize into ½-in. rounds
- Kosher salt
- Vegetable oil
- 1 tiny pink onion, finely chopped (¾ cup)
- 1 tsp. finely chopped garlic
- 1 tsp. finely chopped peeled clean ginger
- 2 cup simple entire-fat yogurt
- 2 tsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
- 1 tsp. floor cumin
- ½ tsp. floor coriander
- ½ tsp. floor turmeric
- Chopped mint leaves, floor sumac, and garam masala, for garnish
Directions
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- Healthy a wire rack into a large rimmed baking sheet. Time the eggplant slices generously on the two sides with salt and set up in an even layer on the rack. Set apart and make it possible for the eggplant to drain, about 15 minutes.

- Meanwhile, to a significant skillet established more than medium heat, include 3 tablespoons of the oil. When it’s hot and shimmering, incorporate the onion, garlic, and ginger and prepare dinner, stirring once in a while, till the onions are translucent and softened somewhat, 7–10 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and set apart to great somewhat, about 10 minutes. (Wipe the skillet thoroughly clean and return it to the stove.) Whisk the yogurt, and the lemon juice and zest into the onion combination. If necessary, stir in 2–3 tablespoons of water to loosen the sauce to a spoonable consistency. Year with salt to taste, and established apart.
- In a compact bowl, stir alongside one another the cumin, coriander, and turmeric. Employing paper towels, pat the eggplant dry, then sprinkle both of those sides of the eggplant slices evenly with the spice mixture. (Go the rack and baking sheet in close proximity to the stove.)
- To the empty skillet, include vegetable oil to a depth of ½ inch and flip the heat to medium-high. When the oil is incredibly hot and shimmering, fry the eggplant in batches, turning the moment, right until golden brown on each sides, 6–8 minutes. Transfer the fried slices to the rack and retain warm when you proceed cooking the relaxation of the eggplant.
- Unfold the reserved yogurt combination around a large platter. Lover the eggplant slices above the yogurt, then sprinkle with mint, sumac, and garam masala to style. Provide warm or at area temperature.
