Aubergine (Eggplant) Recipes
22 recipes with aubergine, including Ratatouille, Pindzhur and Maqluba (Upside-Down Chicken and Rice). 16 are vegetarian and 0 take less than 30 minutes.
Caponata
Sicily's sweet-and-sour aubergine stew — fried aubergine with celery, onion, tomato, capers and green olives, sharpened with vinegar and sugar; better the next day and served at room temperature.
Badrijani Nigvzit (Aubergine Rolls with Walnut Paste)
A fixture of every Georgian supra — thin slices of fried aubergine rolled around a garlicky walnut paste with coriander, fenugreek and vinegar and studded with pomegranate seeds.
Stuffed Aubergines with Mince
Aubergine halves hollowed out and fried, then filled with minced pork and beef cooked with onion, tomato and parsley and baked under a thin layer of kashkaval — the meat-filled sibling of imam bayildi.
Zaalouk
The Moroccan cooked salad of aubergine and tomato simmered with garlic, cumin and paprika until jammy, finished with lemon, coriander and olive oil and eaten warm or cool as one of the salads that open a meal.
Parmigiana di Melanzane
The southern Italian aubergine bake — fried aubergine slices layered with thick tomato sauce, basil, mozzarella and Parmesan, baked until bubbling and rested so it cuts into neat squares.
Roast Vegetables with Garlic and Parsley
A tray of aubergine, peppers, courgettes, onion and tomatoes roasted hot until charred at the edges, then dressed with garlic, vinegar and parsley — the Bulgarian late-summer and autumn side for grilled meat.
Zacuscă
Romania's autumn jar — roasted aubergines and peppers cooked slowly with onions and tomato into a thick, smoky spread, put up in October and eaten on bread all winter.
Maqluba (Upside-Down Chicken and Rice)
The Palestinian “upside-down” pot — layers of fried aubergine, cauliflower and potato, spiced chicken and rice cooked in chicken stock, then turned out at the table into a tall cake crowned with toasted nuts.
Pasta alla Norma
Catania's pasta of fried aubergine in a garlicky tomato sauce, finished with torn basil and plenty of salty ricotta salata — named, the story goes, after Bellini's opera Norma.
Prawn and Vegetable Tempura
The Japanese way of frying, learnt from Portuguese missionaries: prawns and vegetables in an ice-cold, barely mixed batter that fries up lacy, pale and crisp, served at once with a light dashi dipping sauce and grated radish.
Fried Aubergines with Garlic
Aubergine slices salted, dusted in flour and fried until creamy inside, then dressed with garlic, vinegar and parsley — a Bulgarian summer meze that tastes best after half an hour at room temperature.
Hünkar Beğendi (Lamb on Smoky Aubergine Cream)
The “sultan's delight” of Ottoman palace cooking — tender lamb stewed with tomato and peppers, spooned over a silky purée of flame-charred aubergine whisked into a cheesy béchamel.
Imam Bayildi
A Turkish olive-oil classic whose name means “the imam fainted” — whole aubergines split and stuffed with onion, tomato and garlic, slow-braised in olive oil and served cool, once the flavours have settled.
Pindzhur
A Balkan relish from the Pirin region and North Macedonia — roasted peppers, aubergine and tomatoes peeled and chopped by hand with garlic, oil and a little vinegar, so it stays chunky rather than puréed.
Ajvar
The Balkan roasted red pepper relish — long-cooked, oil-rich and jarred for the winter.
Thai Green Curry
Coconut curry built by cracking the cream and frying the paste in the separated fat before anything else goes in.
Kyopolou
Bulgarian roasted aubergine and pepper relish, sharp with garlic and vinegar — lighter and fresher than lyutenitsa.
Lyutenitsa
The Bulgarian autumn preserve — roasted peppers, tomatoes and carrot cooked down for hours into a thick, sweet, faintly smoky spread.
Baba Ganoush
Aubergine charred whole over a flame until the flesh collapses, then whipped with tahini, lemon and garlic.
Ratatouille
Provencal summer vegetables cooked separately and only then brought together — the step that keeps each one tasting of itself.
Vegetable Gyuvech
The clay-pot vegetable bake that gave the dish its name — summer vegetables layered raw and left to cook slowly in their own juices.
Lamb Moussaka
A rich baked moussaka with ground lamb, aubergine and creamy béchamel – a festive twist on Bulgaria's most iconic dish.
Frequently asked questions
How many recipes with aubergine are on svcs.bg?
22: 15 cooking recipes, 1 salad and 6 sauces.
What is the quickest recipe with aubergine?
Thai Green Curry, in about 40 minutes. Baba Ganoush (40 min) and Prawn and Vegetable Tempura (50 min) are quick too.
Are there vegetarian recipes with aubergine?
Yes, 16 of the 22 are vegetarian, for example Caponata, Badrijani Nigvzit (Aubergine Rolls with Walnut Paste) and Zaalouk.
What goes with aubergine in these recipes?
Most often peppers (11), courgettes (4) and potatoes (3) (the number of recipes is in brackets).
How is a recipe with aubergine chosen?
From its ingredient list, not its name: a recipe is here when its ingredients include aubergine. Stocks, seasonings and lines like "water for the rice" don't count. The list updates itself with every new recipe.