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Moroccan · Maghrebi

Zaalouk

Vegetarian

زعلوك · zaalouk

Soft-cooked aubergine and tomato mashed together with garlic, cumin, paprika and fresh herbs. Served warm or at room temperature as a Moroccan cooked salad and dip.

Zaalouk is a Moroccan salad from Morocco, ready in about 50 minutes and made with eggplant and tomato. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Plate of zaalouk, smoky aubergine and tomato dip garnished with coriander
Photo: Tamorlan / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-3.0
Prep
15 min
Cook
35 min
Total
50 min
Serves
6
Level
Easy
Calories
139

Ingredients

6 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Steam or boil the aubergine (opens in a new tab) cubes until completely soft, then drain well in a sieve, pressing out excess water.

    For a smoky version, char whole aubergines over a gas flame instead and scoop out the flesh.

  2. Step 2

    In a wide pan, warm the oil and add the tomatoes (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab), paprika (opens in a new tab), cumin (opens in a new tab), cayenne and salt. Cook until the tomatoes break down into a thick sauce.

  3. Step 3

    Add the aubergine (opens in a new tab) and most of the herbs and cook, mashing with a fork or potato masher, until thick and no watery liquid remains.

    • 10 min
    • medium-low heat

  4. Step 4

    Stir in the lemon juice (opens in a new tab), taste for salt, and scatter with the remaining herbs. Serve warm or at room temperature.

      Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
      How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

    About this dish

    Origin
    Morocco · Well documentedMore food from Morocco
    Dish
    Lunch · Dinner · Salads · Dips & spreads · Side dishes
    Cooking method
    Steamed, Simmered
    Taste
    smoky, garlicky, earthy, herby
    Diet
    Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-fibre
    All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Mediterranean-style · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-fibre · DASH-style · Carb-conscious
    Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Make-ahead · Budget-friendly
    Cook more with
    Eggplant · Tomato · Garlic · Paprika · Cumin · Coriander leaves
    Techniques
    Simmering · Steaming

    Allergens

    None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    139 kcal per serving

    Calculated

    1 serving ≈ 250 g · recipe makes 6

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 7%
    • Carbohydrate 36%
    • Fat 57%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy139 kcal56 kcal
    Protein2.6 g1 g
    Carbohydrate13.4 g5.4 g
    Net carbohydrate7.6 g3 g
    Sugars7.6 g3 g
    Added sugars0 g0 g
    Fibre5.9 g2.4 g
    Fat9.6 g3.8 g
    Saturated fat1.3 g0.5 g
    Trans fat0 g0 g
    Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
    Sodium399 mg160 mg
    Salt equivalent1 g0.4 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    585 mg
    Calcium
    34 mg
    Iron
    1.2 mg
    Magnesium
    34 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    65 µg
    Vitamin C
    19 mg
    Vitamin D
    0 µg
    Vitamin B12
    0 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    50 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Optional ingredients are not included: cayenne / chilli powder.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • Zaalouk tastes even better the next day once the flavours settle.

    Common mistakes

    • Not cooking it down enough — it should be a thick, spoonable mash, not a sauce.

    Serve with

    • Scoop up with bread as part of a spread of Moroccan salads.

    Storage

    • Refrigerate up to 4 days.

    Reheating

    • Serve at room temperature or warm gently.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Goes with

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

    Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    • Eggplant, peeled in stripes and cubed2 piece · 900 g
    • Tomato, peeled and chopped4 piece · 480 g
    Used in steps 1, 2, 3

    Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.

    Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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