Oh my yums!! It just doesn’t get any more perfect than that. Juicy, creamy, crunchy, punchy, sweet and tangy – this fried eggplant toast with a curated selection of delicious extras truly has it all! A dream on a plate and most certainly one of my favourite combos of all time.
The Flavour Affair:
Eggplant + Burrata + Tomatoes + Tkemali + Pomegranate + Pistachios + Mint
What a glorious fusion of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavours. I had a small eggplant lying aimlessly in the fridge and it couldn’t have been put to a better use. Sliced and fried, it found its place on top of creamy burrata smeared over a crispy piece of grilled sourdough bread. I then added a generous scoop of diced juicy tomatoes mixed with tkemali – my dearly beloved Georgian plum sauce:
Tart and spicy, it is made with sour plums, herbs, garlic and chili and is an awesome flavour booster. Couldn’t resist popping in some pomegranate jewels (it’s not my fault that they make everything better!) and roasted pistachios. Rock salt for the finish, and there you have a heavenly, refreshing yet satisfying snack that can easily turn into a light lunch.
Why It Works:
As with many other dishes, a great toast is one that has all major taste elements –
Sweet + Sour + Salty + Spicy + Savory + Fatty,
along with a variety of textures. Here we have:
- Slightly sour, oily (=fatty) and crunchy grilled sourdough toast;
- Sweet and creamy burrata;
- Fatty, subtly bitter (=savory) and smooth fried eggplant;
- Tart (=sour) and juicy tomatoes;
- Spicy and Savory tkemali;
- Sweet and Sour pomegranate jewels;
- Savory and crunchy pistachios;
- Herbaceus/bitter mint leaves;
- Rock salt.
As you can see from the color coding 🙂 there is plenty of textures and a great variety of taste elements. Understanding the “contributors” also makes it easier to find alternative ingredients for missing flavours and textures.
Preparation tips for Fried Eggplant Toast with Burrata, Tomatoes and Tkemali:
- A lot of flavour in this toast comes from the sweet and tart plum sauce from Georgia. You can easily make one at home following my Tkemali recipe. Otherwise, season your diced tomatoes with similar ingredients you have at hand. Pomegranate molasses, chopped mint, dried chili flakes and a little minced garlic will make a great alternative.
- Slice eggplant into 1cm circles, place in a colander and generously season with salt. Let it sweat for 15-20 minutes, then rinse and pat dry. This little trick allows to get rid of extra bitterness.
- During frying, the eggplant absorbs a lot of oil very quickly. Don’t be tempted to add more oil – 3 tablespoons for a large pan is enough, otherwise the eggplant may become too oily.
- Roasted pistachios or pine nuts are both great with this combo.
I hope you make it and am sure you will thoroughly enjoy this delicious treat! Looking for more delicious sourdough toast ideas? Check out these Toast with Figs and Mascarpone or Sourdough with Grilled Nectarines and Mixed Herbs!
***
Fried Eggplant Toast with Burrata, Tomatoes and Tkemali
Ingredients
- 4 pieces of sourdough bread
- 200 g burrata
- 1 small eggplant sliced
- 2 medium tomatoes peeled and chopped
- 2 tsp tkemali sauce
- 1 tbsp each pomegranate seeds and roasted pistachios
- 5 tbsp of olive oil divided
Instructions
- Sprinkle the slices of eggplant with salt and allow to sweat. Rinse and pat dry.
- Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a grill pan and fry the sourdough on both sides. Transfer to a plate to cool.
- Add more oil to the same pan and fry the eggplant for about 5 minutes on each side until softened. Let cool.
- Mix together chopped tomatoes, tkemali sauce and pomegranate seeds.
- To assemble, divide burrata into four parts and smear onto the toasts. Sprinkle with rock salt. Arrange slices of eggplant on top and scoop over the tomatoes. Finish off with roasted pistachios.
Notes
- You can use pine nuts instead of pistachios.
- Instead of tkemali, you can flavour the tomatoes with pomegranate molasses, minced garlic, chopped mint and dried chilies.
