Cumin-roasted aubergine wedges with yoghurt dressing

For Middle Eastern people, the aubergine is a diet staple. We don’t embrace it as a salad item in the West, but I think it makes a wonderful salad ingredient, whether it’s grilled, fried, preserved or – in this case – roasted. Roasting in the oven is a healthier way of cooking as it uses less oil than frying and allows you to celebrate the flavour in a concentrated form. I can happily eat this dish on its own, on my own, but it’s a great one for sharing as it’s a real crowd-pleaser.

Credit: Hachette Australia

• serves

  6

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  1 hour

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 3–4 large aubergines, cut into wedges (ensure the skin sides are 5 cm wide)
• 100–150 ml olive oil
• 5 tsp cumin seeds
• 6 tbsp Greek yoghurt
• 4–5 tbsp pomegranate molasses
• 75 g toasted pine nuts
• 50 g pumpkin seeds
• 1 small packet (about 15 g) fresh coriander, leaves and stems finely chopped
• 100 g pomegranate seeds
• sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 220°C (Gas Mark 7). Line a large baking tray with baking paper.

Using a pastry brush, brush the exposed flesh sides of each aubergine wedge with a good amount of olive oil. Arrange the wedges, skin-sides down, on the prepared baking tray, then sprinkle liberally with the cumin seeds, ensuring some seeds land on the exposed flesh of the wedges. Roast for 45–60 minutes or until the aubergine wedges are golden brown, with dark, burnished edges. Arrange the wedges on a large, flat platter and season well with salt and pepper.

Give the yoghurt a good seasoning of salt and pepper and dilute it with a little water if it is too thick to drizzle. Drizzle the yoghurt over the aubergines, followed by the pomegranate molasses. Sprinkle liberally with the toasted pine nuts and pumpkin seeds, followed by the chopped coriander. Lastly, sprinkle over the pomegranate seeds and serve immediately. If you have leftovers, they are great eaten the next day, served at room temperature.

Recipes and images from Sirocco, Fabulous Flavours From The East by Sabrina Ghaynour (Hachette Australia, $39.99, hbk).

View our Readable feasts review and more recipes from the book here.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.