Winner of the James Beard/ KitchenAid Cookbook of the Year 2000 and Winner of the Beard Award for the Best Writing on Food 2000.
 
 
May 19, 2022
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Fried Eggplant with Yogurt
Badhinjan Maqli ma Laban
Region: Arab Levant, Lebanon
Category: Antipasto, Meze, Tapas, and Hors d'Oeuvres
Season: Summer
Difficulty: Easy

In this Lebanese preparation, often served as part of a meze, the eggplant slices are fried and then arranged on a platter and covered with a pungent garlic-flavored yogurt sauce with lots of fresh coriander leaves (cilantro). Both Turks and Arabs delight in dishes that are hot and cool at the same time. This eggplant dish is also excellent with grilled lamb.

[photo: Alejandra Ramos, AlwaysOrder Dessert.Com]

Yield: Makes 4 servings
Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Olive oil for frying

2 eggplants (about 2 1/2 pounds), halved lengthwise, cut into 1/4 -inch rounds 6 large garlic cloves

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups whole plain yogurt

Leaves from 1 bunch of fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped


1. Preheat the frying oil to 375 degrees F.

2. Fry the eggplant in batches until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes a side. Remove, drain and cool on a tray lined with paper towels.

3. In a mortar, mash the garlic with the salt until mushy. Stir the garlic into the yogurt with the coriander. Transfer the eggplant slices to a serving platter and cover with the yogurt. Serve at room temperature.


Variation: 

Note: 

Posted: 08/05/2013



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Clifford Wright is a versatile fellow. He won the James Beard Foundation’s top cookbook award a couple of years ago for his historical opus, “A Mediterranean Feast.” But he also wrote one of my favorite quick cookbooks, “Cucina Rapida.”  In his newest book [Real Stew], Wright calls upon his scholarly credentials and his practical side to produce a collection of classic stews from around the world. The introductory notes for each of the 300 stews reflect Wright’s knowledge of history and world cuisines. But the recipes themselves — from Nantucket Scallop Stew to French Cassoulet to Kenyan Chicken and Coconut Stew — are straightforward and appealing.
- Margaret King, San Diego Union-Tribune


Small plates that are big on flavor are always in season at my house.  This is another wonderful collection of Mediterranean recipes from Clifford Wright [Little Foods of the Mediterranean] that will send me into the kitchen with pleasure.  Wright strikes just the right note between scholarly and sensual.
- Joyce Goldstein, author of The Mediterranean Kitchen and Saffron Shores

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© 1999-2022 Clifford A. Wright