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Zaalouk

A Moroccan eggplant and tomato dip seasoned with garlic, cumin, and red pepper.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 11 ingredients
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Why it works: Tomato and olive are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,539 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓

Zaalouk

Time15 to 20 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Cook the eggplant, complete with skin, in salt water for 30 minutes.

  2. Heat the oil in a pan.

  3. Cut the tomatoes however you wish.

Make the zaalouk

  1. Add the red pepper, cumin, garlic, salt and lemon juice and cook them in the pan for about five minutes.

  2. When the eggplant is almost cooked, drain any excess water off and add to the tomatoes.

  3. Stir gently over a medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes.

  4. Leave the mixture to cool before serving.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

225Calories
4 gProtein
16 gFat
23 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 11 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Eggplant1 cup cubed (82g)35
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Cumin1 tsp ground (2.1g)8
Clove1 tsp ground (2g)7
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Olive1 large (4g)4
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Tomato + olivetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together15,539 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

  2. Garlic + cumintop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,082 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  3. Eggplant + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together801 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  4. Eggplant + cumintop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together93 recipes

    Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).

  5. Garlic + olivetop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together25,665 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Eggplant
Forms the soft, creamy body of the dish when cooked and mashed.
Tomatoes
Add moisture and acidity that cook down into a saucy base.
Garlic
Contributes pungent aroma that mellows as it cooks.
Olive oil
Carries flavour and adds richness to the cooked vegetables.
Cumin
Adds warm, earthy aroma characteristic of the dish.

The step that matters

Draining the eggplant before adding it to the tomatoes. Excess water from the eggplant dilutes the sauce and slows its thickening. Draining it well lets the tomato mixture reduce and concentrate its flavour during the gentle simmer.

Swap the lemon

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (eggplant, tomato, clove, garlic, olive, pepper, cumin):

  1. Limefits better
  2. Avocadofits better
  3. Cherryfits about as well
  4. Lemonthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against eggplant, tomato, clove, garlic, olive, pepper, cumin. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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