Why it works: Yogurt and coriander are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and 1,183 recipes mention both. Both carry linalool, which smells floral, citrus. The science ↓
The recipe
Ingredients
Contains: milk, wheat (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Also mentioned in the method: bread
Directions
Prepare the eggplant
Wash eggplant, cut off stem and peel it into stripes.
Cut crosswise into two parts, then cut each part lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces.
Soak eggplant pieces in warm salted water for about ½ hour.
Put a heavy plate on the pieces to keep them submerged.
Drain eggplant pieces.
Oven-fry and assemble
Brush pieces lightly with olive oil, and arrange them in a cookie sheet in one layer.
Broil them in the oven, turning once, for about 10 minutes.
Mix together yogurt, garlic, salt, cumin and coriander.
On a flat big platter, arrange eggplant pieces in a single layer (pieces may overlap a little).
Spoon yogurt mixture all over the eggplant.
Sprinkle with chili, and garnish with parsley and tomato.
Serve with warm bread.
Store leftovers
If the amount is more than you can consume in one sitting, refrigerate eggplant pieces and yogurt in two separate containers.
Combine and garnish just before serving.
This recipe comes from the Recipes Wiki on Fandom and is licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Our formatting and summaries are shared under the same licence.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Yogurt + coriandertop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together1,183 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
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Cumin + coriandertop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together3,866 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Garlic + cumintop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together5,083 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Olive + garlictop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together23,449 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
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Eggplant + garlictop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together801 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-hexanol (resin, flower).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggplant
- Forms the main body of the dish and soaks up the flavors of the yogurt sauce.
- Olive oil
- Helps the eggplant brown and crisp under the broiler while keeping it from drying out.
- Plain low-fat yogurt
- Provides a cool, tangy sauce that contrasts with the browned eggplant.
- Garlic
- Adds sharp aroma and pungency to the yogurt sauce.
The step that matters
Broiling the eggplant. Eggplant is spongy and absorbs oil quickly, so a light brush of oil and a single layer let the slices brown rather than steam. Turning once helps both sides color evenly, and watching closely prevents scorching under the high heat of the broiler.
Flavor stand-ins for the garlic
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (eggplant, olive, yogurt, cumin, coriander):
- Oreganoabout as good a flavor fit
- Garlicthe original
- Turmericabout as good a flavor fit
Fit is the average pairing score against eggplant, olive, yogurt, cumin, coriander. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
“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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