Anna Voloshyna’s Georgian Eggplant Rolls
Adapted from Budmo!: Recipes from a Ukrainian Kitchen by Anna Voloshyna. These tasty little rolls make an enchanting vegan appetizer. They can be made in advance and travel well, so they’re ideal for a potluck. These are best made using Chinese eggplants (or other long, thin eggplants), so when you slice them lengthwise, you get strips about 2 or 2 1/2 inches wide, with purple edges on both sides. Budmo! was one of Cooks Without Borders’ Best New Cookbooks of 2022.
Makes about 32 rolls
Ingredients
2 medium-to-large Chinese eggplants
Salt
About 1 cup canola or sunflower oil, for frying (you may wind up needing less)
For the Filling
1 1/2 cups walnut halves, toasted
1/2 cup tightly packed cilantro leaves and stems, roughly chopped
1/4 cup tightly packed Italian parsley leaves, roughly chopped
1 scallion, white and green parts, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground fenugreek
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
For Finishing
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
Pomegranate seeds
Cilantro leaves
Instructions
1. Line a sheet pan with paper towels. Cut off the stem and blossom end from each eggplant. Using a mandoline or a large, sharp knife, cut each eggplant vertically into long slices 1/8-inch thick. You should get about 8 slices from each. Cut each horizontally into two, so you have rectangular pieces about 5 by 2 1/2 inches. Lay them in a single layer on the paper towels, sprinkle them generously with salt and let them sit for 15 minutes to draw out the excess moisture. Pat them completely dry with paper towels.
2. Line the sheet pan with fresh paper towels. In a large frying pan, heat 1/4 cup of the oil over medium-high heat until it is very hot but not smoking. Working in batches to avoid crowding, add the eggplant slices and fry, turning once, until nicely browned on both sides, about 1 minute on each side. Transfer to the prepared pan to drain. Repeat with the remaining slices, adding and heating more oil as needed. Let the slices cool to room temperature.
3. To make the filling, put the walnuts in the bowl of a food processor with the cilantro, parsley, scallion, garlic, vinegar, coriander, fenugreek, cumin, cayenne, salt and 8 or 10 grinds of black pepper and pulse until all the ingredients are finely chopped. With the processor running, start adding water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you have a thick, smooth paste (you will probably need about 3 tablespoons of water). Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed. (The filling can be made up to 2 days in advance and stored in an airtight container.)
4. To assemble and serve the rolls, spread about two teaspoons of the filling on each eggplant slice, roll up the slices, and arrange the rolls, seam-side down, on a serving platter. Drizzle the rolls with the pomegranate molasses and top with pomegranate seeds and cilantro. Any leftover rolls will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Anna Voloshyna's Georgian Eggplant Rolls
Ingredients
- 2 medium-to-large Chinese eggplants
- Salt
- About 1 cup canola or sunflower oil, for frying (you may wind up needing less)
- 1 1/2 cups walnut halves, toasted
- 1/2 cup tightly packed cilantro leaves and stems, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup tightly packed Italian parsley leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 scallion, white and green parts, roughly chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground fenugreek
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- Pomegranate seeds
- Cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Line a sheet pan with paper towels. Cut off the stem and blossom end from each eggplant. Using a mandoline or a large, sharp knife, cut each eggplant vertically into long slices 1/8-inch thick. You should get about 8 slices from each. Cut each horizontally into two, so you have rectangular pieces about 5 by 2 1/2 inches. Lay them in a single layer on the paper towels, sprinkle them generously with salt and let them sit for 15 minutes to draw out the excess moisture. Pat them completely dry with paper towels.
- Line the sheet pan with fresh paper towels. In a large frying pan, heat 1/4 cup of the oil over medium-high heat until it is very hot but not smoking. Working in batches to avoid crowding, add the eggplant slices and fry, turning once, until nicely browned on both sides, about 1 minute on each side. Transfer to the prepared pan to drain. Repeat with the remaining slices, adding and heating more oil as needed. Let the slices cool to room temperature.
- To make the filling, put the walnuts in the bowl of a food processor with the cilantro, parsley, scallion, garlic, vinegar, coriander, fenugreek, cumin, cayenne, salt and 8 or 10 grinds of black pepper and pulse until all the ingredients are finely chopped. With the processor running, start adding water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you have a thick, smooth paste (you will probably need about 3 tablespoons of water). Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed. (The filling can be made up to 2 days in advance and stored in an airtight container.)
- To assemble and serve the rolls, spread about two teaspoons of the filling on each eggplant slice, roll up the slices, and arrange the rolls, seam-side down, on a serving platter. Drizzle the rolls with the pomegranate molasses and top with pomegranate seeds and cilantro. Any leftover rolls will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
