Rose Harissa Aubergines & Hummus

A divine dip of silky smooth hummus topped with aubergines cooked in a tomato and harissa sauce. A great addition to a mezze served alongside flatbread to scoop up this delicious and decadent dip.

The Humble Hummus

Most people are familiar with this incredible and versatile dip. For those who are new to velvety dip, hummus is a savoury Middle-Eastern dip made from cooked, chickpeas blended with olive oil, tahini (sesame paste), lemon juice, and garlic. It is difficult to pinpoint the exact origins of hummus as multiple different theories and claims of origins exist in various parts of the Middle-East but apparently the earliest known written recipes for a dish resembling it are recorded in Egyptian cookbooks written in the 13th century.

It can either be made with a chunky or smooth texture and comes in a variety of different flavours and different toppers. From plain hummus with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkling of za’atar to Beetroot Hummus with Feta and Anything-Green Topper, the variations to the offering of hummus are endless.

Harissa

For those of you who may not know, harissa originates from North Africa, while every region has its own variation and take on the paste, it’s particularly associated with Tunisia. It is a hot chilli pepper paste, the main ingredients of which are roasted red peppers, Baklouti peppers, spices and herbs such as garlic paste, caraway seeds, coriander seeds, cumin and olive oil.

Rose harissa contains dried rose petals, and, usually, rosewater too. This softens the heat and adds a subtle floral note to the dishes it is added to. I use Belazu rose harissa. They also do an apricot version which can be used as a substitute in the recipe below as can the standard harissa paste.

A Simple Recipe

The topper to this hummus dish is simply sautéed aubergines and onion with the addition of rose harissa, garlic, tomato purée, balsamic vinegar and fresh coriander to create an aromatic dish with a little heat.

The aubergine mixture, which you can either have cold or warm, is then layered on hummus and served with some bread to dip into it. You can buy your favourite brand of hummus as opposed to making it from scratch but the recipe for hummus below is so easy, resulting in a beautifully creamy and smooth hummus, I can’t recommend it enough.

Serving Ideas

It is a really easy dish to prepare and one that can easily be cooked up after work. It is vegan so a great option for a ‘Meat Free Monday’ meal. Served with other mezze-style offerings such as bread, olives or, as pictured, a fresh herb and feta cheese platter, this dish can generously feed 4 people.

If there are any leftovers, place in an airtight container and store in the fridge up to 3 days. Makes a great sandwich or wrap filler.

Print Recipe

Rose-Harissa Aubergines & Hummus

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time50 minutes mins

Course: Main Course, Appetiser

Cuisine: Middle-Eastern, Cross-cultural

Keyword: vegetarian, vegan

Servings: 4 (as part of a mezze-style meal or appetiser)

Author: Mersedeh Prewer

Ingredients

For the Rose Harissa Aubergines

• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 large aubergines (chopped into 2 inch chunks. If you have time salt them and leave them for 30 mins to extract water - this will reduce the amount of oil needed to cook them)
• 1 large onion (finely diced)
• 2 cloves garlic (crushed or minced)
• 2 tbsp rose harissa paste
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 250 ml water
• 20 g fresh coriander (finely chopped including stems)
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• Salt and Pepper (to taste)
• Olive oil (to drizzle on top before serving)
• Finely chopped fresh herbs (to garnish - you can use any herb you like including coriander or parsley)

For the Hummus

• 720 g large chick peas in a jar (drained weight approx. 400g)
• 2 cloves garlic
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 4 tbsp tahini
• 40 ml olive oil
• 40 ml ice cold water
• Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Instructions

For the Rose Harissa Aubergines

• Place a large frying pan on a medium / high heat and add 2 tbsp of oil. Add the aubergines and cook until soft all the way through. After 5 minutes of cooking the aubergine, add the remaining 1 tbsp of oil. Stir occasionally to ensure all sides of the aubergine cook through.
• Add the onions to the pan. The pan may be dry as aubergine has a tendency to absorb oil. Do not be tempted to add more oil as the rose harissa paste contains oil. Stir and cook the mixture until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and stir until evenly distributed.
• Add the rose harissa and stir into the mixture. Then add the tomato purée and stir in. Follow with the water, then the fresh coriander and finally the balsamic vinegar. Cook and stir until the liquid reduces and you have a lovely sticky mixture - some of the aubergine chunks will be mashed into the mixture and that is absolutely fine. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and season to taste. You can turn the heat off and leave in the pan until ready to serve the dish. Alternatively you can leave it on a low flame but make sure the mixture does not dry out / burn - add more water if necessary.

For the Hummus

• Add all the hummus ingredients, except the water, salt and pepper to a food processor / nutribullet. Blend until it is smooth. Then add the water and blend further until you have creamy texture. Season to taste.
• Spoon the hummus onto a serving dish and top with the rose harissa aubergine mixture. Drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkle of fresh herbs. Serve as part of a mezze-platter with bread.