Sudanese Salata Aswad

This recipe was nothing short of amazing. I absolutely loved the combination of peanut butter and lime. To be completely fair I was a little skeptical at first,  I was quite intrigued, but also not sure how eggplant, peanut butter, and lime juice would be. But here we are, and I hope you try it as well. The peanut butter flavor overpowered any eggplant flavor and made it like a rich, curried, dip that make a delicious and filling lunch. Recipe come from The Taste of South Sudan, I hope you check out more of her recipes, they all look so amazing. 

One change I made was an accident, but I plan on keeping it. Some of the recipe I looked at roasted their eggplant instead of frying it. So I started mine roasted and then went to check her recipe and realized she fries hers. But roasting is less mess and easier, so I wrote the recipe up using that method. 

1 large eggplant

1/4 c. olive oil

1 small red onion, chopped

1 tsp. garlic paste, divided

1 Tbsp. tomato paste

1 1/2 c. water, divided

1 1/2 Tbsp. peanut butter

1/2 tsp. cumin

1 1/2 tbsp. lime juice

large pinch black pepper

salt to taste

Pita, naan bread, or corn chips to serve

Preheat the oven to 425. Cut the eggplant in quarters lengthwise and brush lightly with the olive oil. Set the remaining olive oil aside. Place the eggplant on a cookie sheet, cut sides up, and sprinkle lightly with salt. Roast at 425 for 20-25 minutes or until deep brown on top. Remove from the oven and set aside. 

Heat the remaining olive oil in a small frying pan. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add half of the garlic paste and cook for 30 seconds before adding the tomato paste and cooking for another minute or two. Add half a cup of water and keep simmering over medium high heat until thickened. 

Scrape the cooked eggplant from the purple skin. Roughly chop and add to the pan. Add the remaining half a cup of water and simmer for 10 minutes or until the eggplants is mostly broken down in the sauce. 

Add the peanut butter and cumin and stir to combine and break up any large chunks of eggplant. Remove from the heat and add the lime juice, remaining garlic paste, and pepper. Taste for salt and adjust as needed. 

Serve immediately with soft pita bread or naan.