Zaalouk Moroccan dip, a dish from North African cuisine, more precisely from Morocco. It can be served warm or cold as both an appetizer and a side dish since it is an eggplant and tomato-based dish with various typical local spices such as cumin and paprika. The Zaalouk dip not only can be served alone as an appetizer or side dish but can also be used with other dishes like couscous or tagine as a condiment. The zaalouk has variations, besides eggplants it is easily found with peppers, artichokes, chickpeas, or zucchini, but it always remains vegetarian and easily suits a vegan or gluten-free diet.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Moroccan
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer, and Fall
- Energy 86.00 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 5.80 (g) of which sugars 3.36 (g)
- Proteins 1.11 (g)
- Fat 7.29 (g) of which saturated 1.04 (g)of which unsaturated 0.18 (g)
- Fibers 2.49 (g)
- Sodium 303.69 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 80 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant
- 5.3 oz tomatoes
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- 0.7 oz lemon juice
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- 5.3 oz water
- 1 pinch chili powder
- Half tsp cumin
Tools
- Pan
- Air Fryer
- Plate
Steps
First, roast the eggplant to give a smoky flavor. There are at least three options, the first is in a fan oven with top grill at 392°F for 30 minutes, turning it several times. The second option is to cook it in the microwave on the crispy mode for 15 minutes at maximum power. The third and fastest option is in the air fryer for 15 to a maximum of 20 minutes, depending on the size of the eggplant. Otherwise, on the gas stove if you don’t have an induction cooker, like me.
Given that the eggplant is cooked and peeled. Let’s proceed with cooking the Zaalouk, a Moroccan dip. Finely chop the garlic and slightly sauté it with the oil in a pan, add the tomatoes cut into small pieces and cook for 5 minutes.
Peel the roasted eggplant and mash it with a fork, season it with paprika and cumin seeds, extra virgin olive oil and salt, parsley, and chili.
Pour the eggplant prepared this way into the tomato.
Stir the ingredients and blend them together, add the water, cover with the lid, and cook over medium heat for another 20 minutes.
Add the lemon juice 5 minutes before the end of cooking.
Stir the Zaalouk sauce and remove the lid from the pan.
Here it is ready to be enjoyed with slices of toasted bread.
