Charred eggplant halves brushed with pomegranate molasses, tahini drizzle, walnuts and pomegranate seeds — Levantine fine dining at home.
⭐Inspired by Greg Malouf · 🇱🇧 LebanonThis recipe is inspired by Chef Greg Malouf's career-long mission to translate the home cooking of Lebanon, Syria and Persia into fine-dining preparations without losing its soul. His cookbooks — Saha, Saraban, Arabesque — are widely regarded as the leading English-language references on modern Middle Eastern cuisine. This dish channels his approach: a humble Levantine eggplant preparation elevated through care, contrast (charred vs. silky, sweet vs. tart) and meticulous garnishing.
Serves 4
Score the cut surface of each eggplant half in a deep crosshatch pattern. Salt generously and rest 20 minutes — this draws out moisture and bitterness. Pat dry.
Whisk olive oil, pomegranate molasses, honey, cumin, cinnamon, Aleppo pepper and a generous pinch of salt. Reserve half.
Preheat the oven to 220°C. Brush the cut surface of the eggplants generously with half the glaze. Place cut-side up on a tray. Roast 30–35 minutes until deeply caramelised, tender all the way through, and lightly charred at the edges. Brush again with the remaining glaze in the last 5 minutes.
In a bowl, whisk the tahini with lemon juice and garlic — it will seize. Slowly whisk in ice water 1 tablespoon at a time — the sauce will magically loosen and turn pale and silky. Season with salt and pepper.
Place 2 eggplant halves on each warm plate. Drizzle generously with tahini sauce. Scatter with toasted walnuts and pomegranate seeds. Finish with mint and parsley leaves and a final drizzle of pomegranate molasses. Serve with warm pita.
Score deeply — the glaze must penetrate to the centre.
Don't skip the salting — it's what makes the flesh creamy rather than spongy.
Ice water is the secret to silky tahini sauce — never use warm or room temperature.
With Yogurt: substitute thick Greek yogurt for the tahini sauce.
Stuffed Version: scoop the cooked flesh, mix with tomato and herbs, stuff back, top with feta — a heartier dish.
Components keep separately for 3 days. Tahini sauce thickens on standing — loosen with water.
Eggplant is one of the foundational vegetables of Levantine cuisine, used across Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and Turkey in dozens of preparations. Greg Malouf's cookbooks have done more than almost any other to introduce these traditions to English-language audiences.
Pomegranate molasses is a thick, dark, intensely tart-sweet syrup made by reducing pomegranate juice. Foundational across Lebanese, Syrian and Persian cooking. Sold at Middle Eastern groceries and increasingly major supermarkets; cannot be substituted exactly with regular pomegranate juice.
His Saha, Saraban, Arabesque, Turquoise and New Feast are widely regarded as the leading English-language references on modern Middle Eastern cuisine. Combining careful regional research, accurate technique and beautifully written context, they have won multiple international cookbook awards including IACP and World Cookbook honours.
Eggplant is treated with reverence — salted, often charred over flame, then dressed with abundant tahini, pomegranate and olive oil. The flavour profile combines smoky, creamy and tart — distinct from Italian or Greek eggplant traditions which lean tomato-based.
Middle Eastern grocers carry it in plastic bottles. Increasingly available at major supermarkets in the international aisle. Brands vary in sweetness — taste before using; you may want to reduce honey if your molasses is on the sweeter side.
Per serving (320g / 11.3 oz) · 4 servings total
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