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.