21/08/2020
Sesame Eggplant Quinoa with Orange Tahini Dressing
This is a sensational side but it is also a wonderful meatless meal. Roasted eggplant wedges become the highlight of the dish, making it very satisfying. I grew up watching my dad vigorously mixing the tahini to serve with meats and falafel. That very-adult, nutty but slightly bitter taste took some getting used to, decades in fact, but now I love mixing it with sweet citrus to balance its savouriness.
Serves:
4-6
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 large eggplant
- sea salt and pepper, to taste
- extra virgin olive oil, as needed
- 1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 spring onions, chopped
- 1 cup torn mint leaves
- 1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- ORANGE TAHINI DRESSING
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Method
- Soak quinoa in 2 cups water in a pot for 15 minutes.
- Cut eggplant into 4 or 6 long wedges, and make slashes in the flesh. Season liberally with salt and allow to stand for 15 minutes. Wipe salt off eggplant with absorbent paper then place on an oven tray. Drizzle with oil and roast at 200°C in the upper half of the oven for 30 minutes until golden brown.
- Add 1 teaspoon salt to quinoa, bring to the boil and simmer covered for 15 minutes. Then turn off the stove and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Mix 2 tablespoons olive oil into quinoa and season.
- Toss in tomatoes, spring onions, mint, almonds and half of the Orange Tahini Dressing. Arrange on a platter. Place roasted eggplant wedges on top. Drizzle with remaining dressing and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- For the Orange Tahini Dressing, shake all ingredients together, blending with a fork if needed. Use as required.
Tips
- TIPS Quinoa (keen-wa) is an ancient crop dating back to the Incas. It is technically a seed, not a grain, and is a great alternative to wheat and rice. It comes in white, red and black varieties. I used tri-colour in this recipe.
- STYLING Arrange quinoa on a large platter, top with eggplant wedges and drizzle dressing in a zig zag pattern with a small spoon to let the eggplant shine through. Sprinkle with seeds just before serving.
- DRINK MATCH Riesling, pinot gris or fruited sour ale.
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