Tahini – sesame paste used as the essential ingredient of hummus – is
useful to have on hand for dips and dressings. It also makes a healthy,
ingenious addition to a vegetable salad. If you can’t get tahini, use a paste
made from other nuts, such as macadamias, almonds or chestnuts with the addition
of a little olive oil.
I like this salad a little more spicy than some, so I use 2-5ml of
chilli powder and I also add 5ml of cumin seeds to the oil and allow it to get
to the ‘popping stage’ to infuse the hot oil before frying the brinjal. As an extra
special touch, garnish the salad with a sprinkling of sesame seeds.
Ingredients:
1 large brinjal (aubergine)
Salt
60ml olive oil
250ml pitted black olives
60ml chopped fresh parsley
30ml wine vinegar
30ml tahini
30ml lemon juice
1ml of chilli powder (use more if you want it
spicier)
Method:
Wash the brinjal and cut it
into sticks. Place in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Set aside for 30
minutes. After a half an hour, rinse with cold water and pat dry with kitchen
paper.
Heat the oil in a frying pan
and stir-fry the brinjal over a medium heat until lightly browned. Drain on a
paper towel and set aside to cool.
Once the brinjal has cooled,
mix in the olives and parsley. Arrange on a serving platter.
Mix together the vinegar,
tahini, lemon juice and chilli powder and drizzle over the salad.
