Easy Romanian Roasted Eggplant Dip (Salata de Vinete)

Welcome back to the LOW CARB AND KETO section on Cooking Romania by Vivi. You have no idea how excited I am to share with you today an easy and tasty traditional Romanian eggplant recipe: ROASTED (SMOKEY) EGGPLANT DIP. It is one of my all time favorite eggplant recipes ever! This recipe is part of my Romanian food collection on Cooking Romania by Vivi. Check out this amazing presentation of Romanian food:

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How did I learn to make recipes?

By joining my Granny in the kitchen. Between the age of 6 and 39, I was her sous chef :). She taught me how to cook heavy, filling food, with tons of fat and oil, very sweet cakes and large bakes. Mind you, she never gained weight. I guess she sort of invented the keto lifestyle!

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Adara, my daughter and I take all recipe photos for this blog. I am a trained concert and food photographer and Adara is great at everything she ever puts her mind to.

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Check out this comprising guide to Romanian traditional food with loads of photos:

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The common food smells you never forget if you live in Romania (in big cities or in the country alike) are:

Romanian roasted eggplant dip recipe with video and notes below:

Easy Romanian roasted eggplant dip (salata de vinete)

Recipe by ViviCourse: Low carb and keto, AppetizersCuisine: RomanianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

2

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Calories/serving

200

kcal

Total time

35

minutes

Roast the eggplant preferably on an open flame. This is one of the easiest eggplant appetizer recipes!

Ingredients

• 2 eggplants, roasted

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 2 tbsp mayonnaise

• 1 tsp lemon juice (optional)

• 3 tbsp vegetable oil (optional)

• salt to taste

Directions

• Roast/grill the eggplant on the gas stove or grill until soft using a flat nonstick grill disk. However, roasting on an open flame of a range imparts a nice smokiness into the eggplant flesh. You can also roast it in the oven.
• Pierce each eggplant with a fork (they may explode)
• Give the eggplants quarter turns on all sides to cook evenly. Small eggplants cook faster (it takes between 20 and 40 minutes, depending on the size).
• When the skin is charred and they are tender inside, remove the eggplant to a colander placed in the kitchen sink.
• Wash them in cold water to cool off a bit, then peel the dark skin completely using a knife (or just use your hands)
• Once the skin is separated, leave the pulp in the colander for at least 30 minutes to drain
• Blend the eggplant in the food processor. You can add the vegetable oil one teaspoon at a time.
• Add the lemon juice
• Remove eggplant to a nice salad bowl
• Add the chopped onion
• Add salt
• Add the mayonnaise
• Stir gently
• Chill at least 1 hour
• Serve with tomatoes, on toast, pita bread.

Recipe Video

Notes

• Choose smaller eggplants. The large ones may be a bit bitter.
• You can freeze the pulp for up to 3 months. I divide the flesh into small quantities; let’s say one eggplant/airtight bag. As you can notice in the recipe video I roasted 6 eggplants and used only 2 for this dip. I froze the remaining 4.

Please try this Romanian roasted eggplant dip (salata de vinete) and let me know how it goes! Have you tried any good eggplant recipes? Please share them with me and I will post them on Cooking Romania by Vivi with credits. Look forward to your message!

Looking for an easy Boiled Sweet Corn on the Cob recipe?

Check out this low carb keto recipe published in our Guest Post section. Roasted eggplant dip has a low content of carbs, just like bacon and bok choy.

Vivi is a passionate teacher, story teller and photographer. Adara is a passionate accountant, businesswoman and videographer. On Cooking Romania by Vivi, the Mom and Daughter play together at the intersection of self and food mastery.