Meltingly soft Honey Glazed Moroccan Eggplant, covered with a sweet and spicy honey and harissa sauce. Vegetarian and gluten-free!
Today, we’re updating an old recipe that seems strangely appropriate for the current times.
This is one of my personal favorite savory recipes on here, and you guys love it, too. It’s been one of my top 10 most popular recipes in 2019, 2018, 2017, and 2016.
I’ve been meaning to update the post with some new pictures (and a new video!) for quite some time, and now seems especially appropriate.
With the current world climate, more and more people are turning to produce delivery boxes rather than grocery stores. As a result, people are getting vegetables they normally don’t cook with — and are searching for recipes.
I’ve had more than a few people reach out and ask what to do with eggplants. This friends — this is what you should do with your eggplant.
(Or check the bottom of this post for more eggplant recipe ideas!)
It’s also appropriate because this week is Passover, and Moroccan-inspired food like this is often a staple for our family for Passover. No grains or chametz are present in this sweet and spicy harissa and honey-glazed Moroccan eggplant!
Because this is one of my favorite recipes, I wanted to show you how easy it is to make!
Cooking eggplant might be a little out of your comfort zone, especially if you’re more into baking than cooking.
But this recipe is super easy! Just watch below. ↓↓↓
One of the biggest complaints people have about eggplant is its texture. It can often be too stringy or too chewy.
Let’s talk about the very best way to make sure your eggplant stays super soft and tender. It’s time for my favorite subject… kitchen chemistry!
Kitchen Chemistry
Sweating an eggplant — sprinkling salt on the surface and letting it sit — draws out extra moisture from the cells of the eggplant through a process called osmosis. Solvent (the water in the cells) will always move from an area of low salt concentration (inside the eggplant) to an area of high concentration (the salted outside of the eggplant), drawing the water out.
There’s a myth that sweating an eggplant reduces the bitter taste, but it’s just the salt masking the bitter. Whether we salt an hour ahead of time or just before cooking, the taste is the same.
Where we see a big difference, though, is the texture. Sweated eggplant will be softer, especially the skin – meaning we don’t have to peel our eggplant before cooking!
After removing the excess water, the eggplant is ready to absorb the next liquid we add to it — our delicious honey and harissa sauce.
All the flavor for this dish comes from the sauce.
Start by sauteing fresh garlic and ginger, just until fragrant. Add in cumin and harissa, a North African chili pepper spice.
Pour in a mixture of lemon juice and honey and simmer with the eggplant until the sauce is reduced and thick, covering the eggplant slides.
The end result is super soft and tender eggplant that nearly melts in your mouth.
We usually have this as our main dish, served with a loaf of fresh, crusty bread (except during Passover, obviously) and a big pile of sauteed greens or a salad.
As a side, it is perfect with chicken or fish. Paprika Chicken with Chickpeas or Moroccan fish stew are two of our favorite options.
The Moroccan eggplant is also just as delicious cold as it is warm, so it’s a great side for a picnic or potluck. Or as leftovers for lunch the next day… assuming there is any left.
Meltingly soft eggplant, covered with a sweet and spicy honey and harissa sauce. Vegetarian and gluten free!
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze leftovers, flash freeze individual
slices on a cookie sheet to keep the pieces from sticking together. Once fully frozen, transfer to a freezer bag.
Inspired by a recipe in Modern Moroccan
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This Honey Glazed Moroccan Eggplant recipe was originally published on 03/08/2016. It was republished on 04/10/2020 with new text, pictures, and video.