Salatet Raheb

Make Ahead and Storage

Refrigerated for 3 days. Bring back to room temperature and refresh the lemon before serving.

How to Make Salatet Raheb

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1. Sit the aubergines directly on a gas burner over a medium flame, or under a grill at its highest setting. Turn every few minutes.

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2. Burn them 25 to 30 minutes until the skins are black all over, the flesh has slumped and a skewer meets no resistance anywhere.

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3. Put them in a colander and split them open. Leave to drain and cool for 15 minutes.

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4. Scrape the flesh away from the skin. Do not chase every last scrap — stray flecks of black skin are a feature.

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5. Chop the flesh roughly on a board. It should stay in pieces, not become a purée.

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6. Mix with the tomato, rinsed onion, herbs, lemon, oil, garlic, salt and pepper.

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7. Spread on a plate, finish with oil and pomegranate seeds, and serve at room temperature.

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Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.

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A Few Pointers

• Naked flame, not the oven. No smoke, no dish.
• Drain the flesh or the salad turns watery.
• Chop it, do not blend it. This is a salad, not moutabal.

Why the Method Is What It Is

It has to be burned over a naked flame. An oven gives you soft aubergine and no smoke, and smoke is the entire flavour of this salad — there is nothing else in it but vegetables and lemon. Directly on a gas ring or under a screaming grill until the skin is black and splitting and the whole thing sags. Then let it drain: aubergine flesh holds bitter liquid that will pool in the bowl and make the salad taste of nothing but water.

Serving Ideas

Flatbread · Grilled lamb · Green olives

Swaps and Variations

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

Quick Answers

What's in a Serving

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.

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