Made with simple ingredients this glistening aubergine dip is healthy and delicious. It has an unmistakable aubergine taste with earthy cumin and bursts of freshness from lemon and coriander. The best part: it is easy to make and requires just a handful of pantry items besides aubergines. A wonderful accompaniment to wraps or flat breads, meat/ fish dishes, this dip is versatile and great to have on hand.
Our aubergine dip is inspired from the Mauritian satini brinzel- ‘aubergine chutney’. Satini brinzel is a faithful side to a typical Mauritian fried unicorn fish- ‘poisson corne/ licorne’. This brings wonderful memories of our childhood holidays; camping at the beach and the barbecues/ braais we would have. Satini brinzel was always on the menu. Nowadays often have our aubergine dip with flatbreads and ‘gateaux piments’ (see recipe) or falafels.
A traditional satini brinzel has a subtle smokey flavour. The smokiness arises from grilling the aubergines on a charcoal barbecue/ braai or charring them on an open flame. However, these traditional ways of cooking the aubergine are not accessible to us. Hence, we adapted the recipe for the oven. We cut the aubergines in half and roasted them cut-side down; the golden caramelised aubergine adds wonderful flavour to the dip. This recipe is so easy; you have to try it!
Aubergine dip- Satini brinzel
Ingredients
- 2 small aubergines
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ onion, finely chopped
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- a handful coriander leaves
- 1 pinch paprika
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 210°C.
- Half the aubergines and make a criss-cross pattern with a sharp knife into the aubergine flesh.
- Slice the garlic and place a few slices into the grooves of each aubergine half. Season with salt and drizzle with a tablespoon of the olive oil.
- Place the aubergines flesh down on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake for 30-40 minutes (depending on the size of the aubergines), until the aubergines are shrunken, soft and the bottom side is golden and caramelised.
- In the meantime, heat the remaining 1 tbsp of oil on medium heat in a small pan. Add in the chopped onions and the cumin as well as a pinch of salt.
- Remove the aubergines from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Scoop out the flesh onto a plate and mash the aubergine pulp with a fork to a consistency of your liking (chunky/smooth).
- Mix in a squeeze of lemon juice, the paprika, most of the chopped coriander and half of the onion/cumin. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- Place the dip into a serving bowl and add the rest of the onion/cumin oil and the remaining coriander on top.
- Enjoy warm or cold in flatbreads, as a dip or a side dish.