Whenever we have guests at home, there has to be food on the table. It does not have to be much – something simple and delicious to share is fine in most cases. Something like these Baked Eggplants with Hummus & Matbucha, for example. Place a few of them on the table and everyone can help themselves. They are so good! Everyone will ask for the recipe, for sure!
For relaxed evenings with friends, we often serve some tapas and other small dishes to share. We love it when we have lots of little plates and bowls in front of us and everyone can help themselves. We sometimes do that even when we are alone watching a movie. The Spanish aren’t the only ones who enjoy this kind of shared meals, of course. Sharing food is common in many cultures.
Let’s be honest – the Spaniards probably adopted their preference for tapas from the Moorish, or at least took inspiration from them. When a country is ruled by a foreign society (the Moorish) for several centuries (781 years to be precise), a lot of habits and traditions stick.
Mezze are very similar to tapas and known in many national cuisines – all over Turkey, people love these small shared dishes, as they do in Lebanon, Syria, and Greece, for example. There are so many dishes you can prepare, and we like pretty much every single one from all these regions. But to be honest, we don’t always follow the recipes to the T. Our baked eggplant is similar to stuff you can find in many places, but we do it our way.
For this dish here, we were inspired by a small restaurant in our neighborhood that is known for its Levantine cuisine. They serve different eggplant dishes, and one of them is a roasted eggplant (from a wood-fired oven) with hummus and various other sauces. We tried to recreate the one with the hummus and home, and it worked out pretty well. We could not do the wood-fired oven thing, but an Air Fryer works just as well.
The tomato salsa, aka. Matbucha is an addition to the dish that was initially just an experiment. We wanted to add some color to the plate, and instead of just using diced tomatoes or maybe a red pesto, we thought Matbucha would work well here. The slightly spicy tomato salsa with mint is usually served as a dip with some bread, but honestly, it fits like a glove here! So good!!
As already mentioned, we really like dishes that you can put on the table and then share with others. Our Fellah Kofta with Yogurt Cream is a great example of that. Similar to the dish here, you can simply place the kofta on the table with other small dishes and everyone can help themselves as they please… or you just share with one other person if you are very hungry.
Or… what about Sweet Potato Falafel with Hummus & Tomato Salad? Add some bread, and you created a nice dish to share with friends or family. Only friends and/or family members you like, of course!
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(2-4 servings)
For the roasted eggplant:
1 eggplant, halved
some olive oil for brushing
salt, pepper
some grated cheese as topping
For the tomato salsa (Matbucha):
some olive oil for frying
1 red onion, finely chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
10.6 oz. (300g) tomatoes (smaller ones are better here), finely diced
1 tsp. harissa* (or chili flakes)
1-2 stalks of fresh mint, finely chopped
some cayenne pepper*
salt, pepper
For the hummus:
1 can (400g) chickpeas*
5-6 tbsp. of the chickpea water
3 tbsp. tahini*
1-2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 organic lemon, zest & juice
1 tbsp. olive oil (plus more for drizzling)
1/4 tsp. ground cumin*
Salt, pepper
For decorations, etc.:
some olive oil for drizzling
some sour cream or yogurt
some diced tomato, cucumber, and onion
some roasted chickpeas
some Za’atar* and/or chili flakes* for sprinkling
(2-4 Personen)
Für die geröstete Aubergine:
1 Aubergine, halbiert
etwas Olivenöl zum Bestreichen
Salz, Pfeffer
etwas geriebener Käse zum Überbacken
Für die Tomatensalsa (Matbucha):
etwas Olivenöl zum Anbraten
1 rote Zwiebel, fein gehackt
2-3 Knoblauchzehen, fein gehackt
300g Tomaten (kleinere sind hier besser), fein gewürfelt
1 TL Harissa* (oder Chiliflocken)
1-2 Stängel frische Minze, fein gehackt
etwas Cayennepfeffer*
Salz, Pfeffer
Für das Hummus:
1 Dose (400g) Kichererbsen*
5-6 EL vom Kichererbsenwasser
3 EL Tahini*
1-2 Knoblauchzehen, in kleinen Stücken
1/2 Bio-Zitrone, Abrieb & Saft
1 EL Olivenöl (plus mehr zum Beträufeln)
1/4 TL Kreuzkümmel*, gemahlen
Salz, Pfeffer
Für die Dekoration, etc.:
etwas Olivenöl zum Beträufeln
etwas Schmand oder Joghurt
etwas Tomate, Gurke & Zwiebel, gewürfelt
einige geröstete Kichererbsen
etwas Za’atar* und/oder Chiliflocken* zum Bestreuen
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Wash and dry the eggplants, then cut them in half lengthwise. Brush the cut sides with olive oil and place them in the Air Fryer basket – we like to use baking paper* here, so that the appliance doesn’t get too dirty.
2. Preheat the Air Fryer to 180°C (350°F). Slide the basket into the Air Fryer and bake the eggplants for about 20-24 minutes. Check towards the end of the baking time, whether the flesh of the eggplant is soft and bake a little longer, if necessary.
3. While the eggplant is baking, prepare the other components of the dish. For the tomato salsa, peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Wash and dry the tomatoes, then cut them into small cubes. Heat up a saucepan with some olive oil, then sauté the onion and garlic until soft and glossy. Add the harissa (or chili flakes) and let that get fragrant for a moment, then add the diced tomatoes. Reduce the heat and let the tomatoes simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Shortly before the end of the cooking time, add the chopped mint. Season to your liking with cayenne pepper, salt, and regular black pepper. Remove from the heat.
4. While the salsa is cooking, you can prepare the hummus. Drain the chickpeas from the can, reserving the chickpea water. Place the chickpeas in a tall container with 5 tablespoons of the chickpea water, tahini, garlic, lemon zest and juice, olive oil, and cumin, and purée everything with an immersion blender* until smooth (you can also use a regular blender). If the mixture seems too thick, add a little more chickpea water and continue blending. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Once the eggplant flesh has browned and is nice and soft, pull the eggplant halves apart with a fork, sprinkle them with some grated cheese and bake them about 3-5 minutes more (at the same temperature). The cheese should be nicely melted and may also have browned a little.
6. To serve, spread the hummus on a large platter or two plates, spoon the tomato salsa on top, place the baked eggplant halves on that, and drizzle everything with a little olive oil. Garnish with sour cream (or yogurt), diced tomato, cucumber, and onion, as well as some roasted chickpeas. Sprinkle with Za’atar or chili flakes to your liking and serve.
Note: As a starter to share, with some bread on the side, the dish is intended for 4 people. As a smaller main course, with salad or something similar on the side, the eggplants should be enough for two persons.
1. Die Auberginen waschen, trocknen und dann längs halbieren. Die Schnittflächen der Auberginen mit Öl bestreichen und dann in den Korb des AirFryers legen – wir verwenden hier gerne Backpapier*, damit das Gerät nicht komplett einsaut.
2. Den AirFryer auf 180°C (350°F) vorheizen. Die halbierten Auberginen für etwa 20-24 Minuten backen. Gegen Ende der Backzeit checken, ob das Fleisch der Aubergine weich ist und ggf. etwas länger im AirFryer backen.
3. Während die Aubergine backt, die restlichen Komponenten des Gerichts vorbereiten. Für die Tomatensalsa die Zwiebel und den Knoblauch schälen und fein hacken. Die Tomaten waschen, trocknen und dann in kleine Würfel schneiden. Einen kleinen Topf mit etwas Olivenöl erhitzen, dann die Zwiebel und den Knoblauch im heißen Öl anschwitzen, bis die Zwiebeln weicher sind und glasig aussehen. Harissa (oder Chiliflocken) dazugeben und kurz anschwitzen lassen, dann die gewürfelten Tomaten dazugeben. Die Hitzezufuhr reduzieren und die Tomaten für etwa 20 Minuten köcheln lassen – zwischendurch immer mal umrühren, damit nichts anbrennt. Kurz vor Ende der Kochzeit die gehackte Minze dazugeben und kurz mit köcheln lassen. Mit Cayennepfeffer, Salz und schwarzem Pfeffer abschmecken und dann vom Herd ziehen.
4. Während die Salsa kocht, kann man auch schon den Hummus zubereiten. Dazu die Kichererbsen aus der Dose abgießen und das Kichererbsenwasser dabei auffangen. Die Kichererbsen mit 5 EL vom Kichererbsenwasser, Tahini, dem Knoblauch, Abrieb und Saft der Zitrone, sowie Olivenöl und Kreuzkümmel in ein hohes Gefäß geben und mit einem Pürierstab* zu einer glatten Masse pürieren (geht natürlich auch im Mixer). Sollte die Masse zu fest erscheinen, noch etwas Kichererbsenwasser dazugeben und weiter mixen. Mit Salz und Pfeffer abschmecken.
5. Sobald das Fleisch der Auberginen Farbe bekommen hat und schön weich ist, die Auberginenhälften mit einer Gabel ein wenig auseinander drücken, dann etwas geriebenen Käse darüber streuen und noch einmal für etwa 3-5 Minuten (bei gleicher Temperatur) überbacken. Der Käse sollte schön geschmolzen sein und darf auch etwas Farbe bekommen haben.
6. Zum Servieren den Hummus auf einer großen Platte oder zwei Tellern verstreichen, die Tomatensalsa darauf verteilen, die überbackenen Auberginenhälften auflegen und alles mit ein wenig Olivenöl beträufeln. Mit Schmand (oder Joghurt), gewürfelter Tomate, Gurke und Zwiebel sowie einigen gerösteten Kichererbsen dekorieren. Nach Belieben noch mit Za’atar oder Chiliflocken bestreuen und servieren.
Hinweis: Als Vorspeise zum Teilen, mit etwas Brot dazu, ist das Gericht für 4 Personen gedacht. Als kleinere Hauptspeise, mit Salat o.ä. dazu, sind die Auberginen für 2 Personen.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Roasted Eggplant with Hummus & Matbucha (Air Fryer)
- Prep Time: 00:30
- Cook Time: 00:27
- Total Time: 01:00
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: Starter
- Cuisine: International
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
The perfect dish to share as a starter (or a smaller meal, if you want): Roasted Eggplant with Hummus & Matbucha made with an Air Fryer. So good!
Ingredients
For the roasted eggplant:
1 eggplant, halved
some olive oil for brushing
salt, pepper
some grated cheese as topping
For the tomato salsa (matbucha):
some olive oil for frying
1 red onion, finely chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
10.6 oz. (300g) tomatoes (smaller ones are better here), finely diced
1 tsp. harissa* (or chili flakes)
1-2 stalks of fresh mint, finely chopped
some cayenne pepper*
salt, pepper
For the hummus:
1 can (400g) chickpeas*
5-6 tbsp. of the chickpea water
3 tbsp. tahini*
1-2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 organic lemon, zest & juice
1 tbsp. olive oil (plus more for drizzling)
1/4 tsp. ground cumin*
Salt, pepper
For decorations, etc.:
some olive oil for drizzling
some sour cream or yogurt
some diced tomato, cucumber, and onion
some roasted chickpeas
some Za’atar* and/or chili flakes* for sprinkling
Instructions
1. Wash and dry the eggplants, then cut them in half lengthwise. Brush the cut sides with olive oil and place them in the Air Fryer basket – we like to use baking paper* here, so that the appliance doesn’t get too dirty. ;P
2. Preheat the Air Fryer to 180°C (350°F). Slide the basket into the Air Fryer and bake the eggplants for about 20-24 minutes. Check, towards the end of the baking time, whether the flesh of the eggplant is soft and bake a little longer, if necessary.
3. While the eggplant is baking, prepare the other components of the dish. For the tomato salsa, peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Wash and dry the tomatoes, then cut them into small cubes. Heat up a saucepan with some olive oil, then sauté the onion and garlic until soft and glossy. Add the harissa (or chili flakes) and let that get fragrant for a moment, then add the diced tomatoes. Reduce the heat and let the tomatoes simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Shortly before the end of the cooking time, add the chopped mint. Season to your liking with cayenne pepper, salt, and regular black pepper. Remove from the heat.
4. While the salsa is cooking, you can prepare the hummus. Drain the chickpeas from the can, reserving the chickpea water. Place the chickpeas in a tall container with 5 tablespoons of the chickpea water, tahini, garlic, lemon zest and juice, olive oil, and cumin, and purée everything with an immersion blender* until smooth (you can also use a regular blender). If the mixture seems too thick, add a little more chickpea water and continue blending. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Once the eggplant flesh has browned and is nice and soft, pull the eggplant halves apart with a fork, sprinkle them with some grated cheese and bake them about 3-5 minutes more (at the same temperature). The cheese should be nicely melted and may also have browned a little.
6. To serve, spread the hummus on a large platter or two plates, spoon the tomato salsa on top, place the baked eggplant halves on that, and drizzle everything with a little olive oil. Garnish with sour cream (or yogurt), diced tomato, cucumber, and onion, as well as some roasted chickpeas. Sprinkle with Za’atar or chili flakes to your liking and serve.
Notes
As a starter to share, with some bread on the side, the dish is intended for 4 people. As a smaller main course, with salad or something similar on the side, the eggplants should be enough for two persons.
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