Whole Burnt Aubergine with Charred Egg Yolk, Tahini & Chili Sauce
A recipe from Chasing Smoke: Cooking with Fire around the Levant that involves cooking a whole aubergine over fire, adding in tahini, chilli sauce and an egg yolk charred with a hot coal! A delicious side or meal served with fresh flatbreads.
Place the whole aubergines on a very hot grill, or directly on the embers if you prefer. Let them scortch all over, turning occasionally, until the skin is charred and the flesh is so soft that it seems they are going to collapse.
While the aubergines are cooking, combine all the dressing ingredients apart from the chopped parsely. Seperately mix the tahini paste with the water to form a thick whipped cream consistency.
Once the aubergines are fully blackened, remove from the grill onto serving plates and split open to reveal the flesh.
Add the parsley to the dressing and mix well. Use half the dressing to douse the flesh of the slit aubergines, then top with the whipped tahini and place a raw egg yolk in the centre of each one. Using tongs, carefully remove a hot charcoal from the fire and lightly char the top of each yolk. Return the coal to the fire and drizzle the remaining dressing over the aubergines before serving.
To Cook without a BBQ
Cook the aubergines on your highest grill setting or in a super hot oven at 240°C, remembering to pierce them with a fork beforehand, as they have a tendacy to explode.
Scorch one side, then rotate and char the next section until the flesh of the aubergine is completely soft. Use a blow torch to scorch the surface of the egg yolk, or simply heat the back of a spoon over a flame and use that instead.