Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 cup walnuts
- 4 cloves garlic (TFD change - original recipe calls for 1/2 this amount)
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander seed
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- 1/2 teaspoon ground fenugreek, or more as needed - TFD strongly prefers the true Georgian Blue Fenugreek, which is very hard to find in the U.S. One excellent source is here.
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or more as needed, plus more for salting the eggplant
- 1/2 tsp. ground red pepper flakes (TFD prefers Aleppo pepper here)
- 1 teaspoon turmeric or Georgian Marigold petal powder, which TFD strongly prefers. You can get it here.
- 1/4 cup each packed cilantro and parsley leaves
- 1/2 cup water
- 10 Chinese eggplants - these are the long slender types
- Grapeseed oil, for frying
- Crackers, for serving
- Cilantro sprigs, for garnish
- 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced, for garnish
- Pomegranate seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Combine the walnuts, garlic, vinegar, spices, pomegranate molasses and water in a food processor; puree until fairly smooth. Taste, and adjust the seasonings as desired. Chill for several hours or overnight to allow the flavors to meld.
- Trim off and discard the tops of the eggplants (but do not peel them). Cut lengthwise into ½-inch-thick slices.
- Line a baking sheet with several layers of paper towels.
- Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once the oil shimmers, add just enough of the eggplant so as not to overcrowd the pan.
- Brown on both sides, adding oil as necessary to prevent the eggplant from sticking or burning. Transfer to the lined baking sheet to drain and cool. Repeat, working in batches, until all the slices have been fried.
- The eggplant can be fried 1 day before serving. Store the filling and eggplant, separate and covered, in the refrigerator. It’s best to assemble the rolls no more than a couple of hours before serving.
- Place the eggplant slices with the pointier end toward you. Place a dollop of paste on the pointy end of each slice and roll away from yourself. Arrange rolls on a serving dish. Place 2-3 pomegranate seeds on the end of each roll and scatter more around the plate.
- Serve as is, or on crackers, if you like. Scatter fresh cilantro, thinly sliced red onion and/or more pomegranate seeds over the rolls before serving, if desired.