Salatat Makdous
سلطة المكدوس·(sa-la-tat mak-doos)
Oodet El Mouneh: The Lebanese-American Pantry
The jar of store-bought tahini sits open. The eggplants blister in the pan. Tuesday at six p.m. demands speed. This resourceful technique is just the raw, honest brilliance of chopping up cured eggplants with sweet tomatoes and crisp onions. The ultimate secret is to completely ignore the instinct to whisk a separate dressing. That curing oil sitting in the jar has been absorbing garlic and walnut flavors for months, acting as a ready-made, deeply savory vinaigrette. Tear a piece of toasted pita, swipe it through the dressing, and eat.
Before you start
The weeknight Quick Makdous hack.
If you cannot find jarred Makdous, chop a standard globe eggplant into cubes, boil for 15 minutes until tender, and press in a strainer overnight in the fridge. The next day, toss the cubes with crushed walnuts, minced garlic, a spoonful of chili paste, and a generous pour of good olive oil to use in this salad immediately.
Ingredients
- Makdous6 med
- cherry tomatoes1 cup
- red onion1/2 small
- fresh flat-leaf parsley1/4 cup
- Makdous oil3 tbsp
- pomegranate molasses1 tsp
- sea salt1 pinch
- walnuts1/3 cup
Method
- 01
Combine the chopped Makdous, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and parsley in a mixing bowl.
Do not worry if the walnut and garlic stuffing spills out of the eggplants while chopping; it will all become part of the salad.
- 02
Dress the vegetables directly with the infused oil from the Makdous jar and the pomegranate molasses.
There is no need to whisk a separate vinaigrette here; the curing oil has been doing the hard work for months.
- 03
Toss the salad gently until everything is well coated.
The preserved eggplants are already quite salty, so taste the mixture before adding any additional sea salt.
- 04
Transfer to a platter, top with toasted walnuts, and serve immediately.
The extra walnuts reinforce the traditional stuffing and provide a crucial textural crunch alongside warm pita bread.
Notes
Sourcing and handling jarred Makdous.
Look for jars at your local Middle Eastern grocer where the olive oil looks rich and the eggplants are intact. If they are stored in the fridge, let the jar sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before using so the olive oil liquefies.
Choosing the right pomegranate molasses.
Check the label of your dibs rumman; authentic bottles should list only pomegranate juice and perhaps a touch of salt or sugar, avoiding brands heavily diluted with corn syrup.
From Cook Lebanese in America.