Armenian eggplant salad is a delicious vegetarian salad in which fried eggplants are filled with sour cream, yogurt/ labneh, and chopped walnuts.
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Armenian eggplant salad is one of the favorite dishes of my husband. He loves it.
Though in Armenia it’s considered a salad, we generally consider it a rich side dish which you can relish on a cheat day. The reason is fried eggplant used in this dish. I don’t like adding fried things to my salad so, I never make this dish when I want to eat a healthy, refreshing salad instead I reserve it for a cheat day.
However, it’s so delicious that I would highly recommend you to try it at least once no matter how calorie-conscious you are.
I once tried creating a healthier version of this dish by baking the eggplants instead of frying but failed. Till the time I get some other trick to avoid frying the eggplants in this recipe, we don’t mind enjoying the fried version occasionally and then spending some extra minutes in the gym.
I am really loving Armenian food these days and tried some other recipes too which I will share on my blog soon.
Armenians use a lot of fresh herbs in their cooking which I love. There are also many eggplant recipes in Armenian cuisine and I love eggplants so that’s the second reason why I am loving it.
More easy eggplant recipes
Looking for more eggplant recipes? Don't miss to check the following link:
More easy vegetarian recipes
A few months ago I read a book –The bastard of Istanbul and though the book is not about food, it has very nicely touched Armenian and Turkish cuisine. That book made me curious to learn more about the food of these two beautiful countries.
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Step by step photo instructions
Armenian eggplant salad
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant globe eggplant
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup thick yogurt/ labneh
- 1/4 cup finely chopped walnut
- 4-5 finely grated garlic cloves
- Salt as per taste
- Olive oil for frying the eggplants
- 2-3 tablespoons pomegranate seeds for garnishing
- 1 tbsp finely chopped dill for garnishing
Instructions
- Peel the eggplants and slice them vertically (around 1/2 cm thickness). Sprinkle some salt and keep aside for 5 to 10 minutes. The eggplants will release water, wipe that out with a paper towel.
- Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the eggplant slices till they turn golden brown. Take them out on a paper towel and wipe out the excess oil by dabbing with another paper towel.
- In a bowl mix sour cream, thick yogurt/ labneh, grated garlic, chopped walnuts, and salt.
- Spread some yogurt mixture on one side of the fried eggplant slices and then roll them. Place the rolls on a serving plate and garnish with pomegranate seeds and chopped dill. Enjoy your vegetarian Armenian eggplant salad
Never seen a salad like this but this is interesting and looks great too.
Thanks Lathiya.
Love this unique salad here dear !!! The stuffing is more eye catchy for me.. Sour cream, yogurt, chopped walnuts and yes, garlic all are sounds really good inside the sliced eggplants....
Thank you Sasmita, yes I also love this combination.
Wow they look so tempting and inviting. It looks like great starter for parties. Agree with you eating fried items once in a while is perfectly fine. Deep fried eggplant with creamy stuffing is delicious.
Thanks a lot Narmadha 🙂
that looks delish! i made something similar but cut the eggplants into roundels!!! Love the idea of sourcream and labneh!!! Would be a lovely entree in a party!!!
Thanks, Priya 🙂
While on holiday in Turkey, very similar dish we had tasted and fell in love with it. Being an aubergine fan, I am literally drooling while I type this comment. Yes, it is rich, but you allowed some delicious food on a cheat day!
Thanks, Jagruti. I love eggplants too and yes I have reserved this delicious recipe for my cheat days 🙂
Eggplant in all forms is our favourite...This salad looks so delicious...the garlic in the sour cream adds so much flavour to the salad with a crunch of walnuts....totally yummy recipe ????
Thanks a lot, I also love eggplants and this is a must-try recipe if you fall in that category 🙂
Wow! Salad looks scrumptious!! Adding labneh makes it more tastier!
Thanks, Jayasri.Yes it was delicious.
Vandana as I was going through the recipe, seriously my mouth was watering. Vegetarian Armenian Eggplant salad looks so delicious. Simple and yet so flavorful. Have tried frying the eggplant in an air fryer. Just a suggestion though I've not used one as yet.
Thanks, Mayuri. Yes you right, it's better to use an air fryer, if you have one. I don't have an air fryer but thinking of investing in one soon 🙂
Very unique and inviting salad. I am sure, sour cream with walnuts and garlic would have added such great flavors to the recipe. Worth trying!
Thanks, Anshu. Yes, this combination is delicious.
That salad looks more like an appetizer. I totally love the way of presenting, and even more the filling that has gone into the long pieces of eggplant... Totally delicious!
Thanks, Rafeeda, yes you are right though considered a salad, it's more suitable as an appetizer. It tastes delicious.
Vandana,
We love Armenian food and this eggplant salad is certainly a favorite. Yours looks picture perfect!
Thanks a lot, Sandhya. Yes, Armenian food is awesome.
Good to know about this dish from Armenian cuisine... This is a lovely vegetarian dish I can eat as a started too if not a salad????.... lovely share
True Amrita, I also like having it as a starter instead of a salad.
The eggplant salad sounds so unique and yummy. The stuffing of sour cream, yoghurt, garlic and walnuts is so flavourful. I have never tasted this, it must be so yummy na.
Thanks a lot Lata. Yes, it tastes delicious. A must-try recipe 🙂