Roasted Eggplant Salad I Turkish Meze (Közlenmiş Patlıcan Salatası)

ROASTED EGGPLANT SALAD/MEZE RECIPE VIDEO

Note: By clicking on this video, you allow third parties (YouTube and Google) to access your data. Visit our privacy policy for more info.

Anatolian Embers: The Story of Fire-Roasted Eggplant & Olive oil

Autumn is when fruits and vegetables reach their most generous form. Throughout summer, plants collect the sun’s energy, but their fullest, most flavourful yield arrives with the cool air of fall. Living in harmony with nature means following these organic rhythms and autumn rewards that patience with abundance. The markets overflow, prices ease, and each ingredient carries concentrated taste and nourishment.

In Turkish cuisine, the eggplant (patlıcan) takes on countless forms. In winter, it’s hollowed and dried (kuru patlıcan), sometimes fried and frozen, or even turned into rare gourmet sweets and jams. That’s why autumn isn’t only the season of harvest. It’s also the time to preserve. Today’s recipe celebrates that tradition with Roasted Eggplant & Pepper Salad, (Közlenmiş Patlıcan ve Biber Salatası), a smoky roasted eggplant and red pepper salad that doubles as a meze. 

Since childhood, I’ve loved the aroma of vegetables roasted in hot wood ashes (kül közleme). Their slow, natural roasting needs no extra seasoning: yet when you add garlic, vinegar, and olive oil, the flavours rise to another dimension entirely.

Enjoy!

---

Ingredients

• 2 large eggplants

• 10-12 red bell peppers

For the Sauce:

• 4–5 garlic cloves

• 2 tsp salt

• ¼ cup grape vinegar

• ½ cup cold-pressed olive oil

Directions

PREPARATION:

• Wash the eggplants and peppers.

• Pierce the eggplants a few times with a knife. This prevents them from bursting while roasting.

ROASTING:

• You can roast the vegetables in an oven or over a barbecue.

• Preheat the barbecue to 450°F (220°C); and oven to 400°F (200°C).

• Turn the vegetables occasionally so they roast evenly until soft inside.

• Once done, transfer to a covered bowl and let them sweat for several minutes, this loosens the skins.

PEELING & CHOPPING:

• Peel the eggplants while still warm. If they cool completely, the flesh darkens.

• After about 5–7 minutes, when the skins soften, peel and chop finely.

• Cover and let rest at room temperature.

• Peel the peppers, remove seeds and stems, chop finely, and set aside in a separate bowl.

• Once cooled, refrigerate for longer storage.

SAUCE:

• Mash the garlic.

• In a bowl, combine garlic, salt, vinegar, and olive oil.

• Blend with a hand mixer until smooth (about 1–2 minutes).

• Store in a glass jar in the fridge until serving. the win

SERVING:

• Combine eggplant and peppers in desired proportions.

• Toss with the sauce to taste.

• Serve warm or cold as a salad or meze.

[Notes from the Kitchen]

• You can roast (közlemek) in the oven, over barbecue, or buried in wood ashes for a rustic aroma.

• The key is to soften the vegetables all the way through without burning too deeply; light charring adds flavour.

• Always pierce eggplants before roasting to prevent bursting.

• Letting them rest covered makes peeling easy and preserves moisture.

• The sauce keeps fresh for 3–4 days in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before use, as olive oil solidifies when chilled.

• Serve with only eggplant, only pepper, or a mix of both; each version has its own charm.

• You might also use roasted eggplant also for Hünkar Beğendi.

• Please check other exceptional Turkish eggplant recipes in the page such as: Imam Bayıldı, Karnı Yarık, Fried Eggplant Kebab, Baby Eggplant Jam. 

---

---

---