Middle Eastern stuffed eggplants

The fresh, herby yoghurt dressing paired with the spicy, nutty and savoury flavour of the stuffing in a crispy eggplant skin is just magic.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Stuffed eggplants

• 2 large eggplants
• ½ head (about 200g) cauliflower florets
• 300g mushrooms, sliced
• ½ cup walnuts
• 1 brown onion, diced
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 ½ tsp cumin

Yoghurt dressing

• ¾ cup coconut yoghurt
• 1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped
• 1 tbs fresh coriander, chopped
• ½ lemon, juiced
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• ½ tsp garlic powder

To serve

• 1 tbs each coriander and mint
• 1 pomegranate
• 2 tbs pine nuts, toasted
• 1 lime, quartered

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C fan forced. Slice eggplants lengthways and scoop out the flesh, saving it for the stuffing.
2. Place halves skin-side down on a baking paper-lined tray. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes while you prepare the rest.
3. To make the stuffing, add the saved eggplant flesh, cauliflower florets, mushrooms and walnuts to your food processor and pulse until you get a rice-like consistency.
4. Heat a non-stick frypan. Combine the eggplant mixture, diced onion, cranberries, salt and cumin in a frypan. Cook mixture over low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes.
5. Remove the eggplant skins from the oven and stuff the eggplants with the cooked mixture. Return to the oven to bake for a further 30 minutes.
6. Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together. Once the eggplants are done, drizzle with yoghurt dressing and scatter with extra fresh herbs, pomegranate seeds and toasted pine nuts. Serve with a few wedges of lime.

This recipe is an edited extract from Whole by Harriet Birrell ($50, Hardie Grant Media).