This Russian eggplant caviar is a silky smooth vegetable spread that is delicious warm or cold!
As I was looking through the photos I took I knew right away this eggplant caviar is going to be a hard sell for two reasons.
Not many people appreciate just how amazing eggplants could be, and the unattractive mushy nature of the photo above is not going to do me any favours. BUT…hear me out.
This Russian eggplant caviar is comfort food. It’s how you’d want your vegetables to taste but often get disappointed. This vegetable spread NEVER disappoints.
The recipe I am sharing today is my grandmother’s or at least a riff on what I remember it tasted like.
Eggplant caviar or ‘baklazhannaia ikra’ is a very popular summer dish in Russia and a handful of other Eastern European countries but every cook’s recipe is slightly different.
Even my mother’s and my grandmother’s recipes varied. The main reason for so much variety in the method is availability of ingredients and personal taste.
To this day Russian cooking is quite seasonal, so whatever ingredients are available at the time is what gets thrown in! People are generally much more flexible about following recipes and definitely don’t get stressed over exact measurements, which is both good and bad.
It’s good because it encourages creativity and bad because if you want to get someone’s recipe, you get the usual “put in this, add on that, mix it until it feels right”. Yep, very vague!!
I often hear that Eastern European food is dubbed as ‘bland’ and there is occasionally some truth to it but only when it comes to main dishes that are rarely served on their own.
Meals are eaten accompanied by many sides like salads, pickles and ferments. Together they create a complex flavour that is far from plain.
This eggplant caviar is one of those sides! It’s a flavour maker. The eggplants are cooked with garlic, onions and red peppers over low heat for a long time until spongy eggplant collapses and turns into a smooth and silky spread, infused with all the delicious flavours that are added to it.
Traditionally not too many spices are added besides black pepper, dill and parsley but my grandmother added cracked coriander seeds, which made her eggplant caviar incredibly fragrant and delicious if not slightly exotic.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 large red pepper sliced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds cracked
- 4 medium eggplants cubed
- 125 ml/ 1/2 cup tomato juice
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 10 g/ 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
Instructions
- In a large cast iron pot heat olive oil, then add onions and red pepper and cook over low heat for 15 minutes until translucent but not coloured. Then add garlic and cracked coriander seeds (use mortar and pestle to crack coriander seeds), stir until the mixture is fragrant for approximately 1 minute.
- Add eggplant, tomato juice and ketchup, stir, cover with a lid and cook on low for 1 1/2 hours until there is very little liquid left and the eggplant is a spreadable consistency. Check on your eggplant caviar every 20 minutes or so and stir to avoid it burning to the bottom.
- When the mixture has reduced considerably salt it to taste, then add chopped fresh cilantro. (If your eggplant still has a spongy texture at the end of cooking time, cook it for 20-30 minutes longer.)
- Serve with bread or crackers.
Sara says
We love the different caponatas all over Sicily. Tried this last year and liked it a lot. I froze it in small containers (12 oz) so could take it out to Enliven a winter meal. Have a pot cooking now. We grow a lot of eggplant and need many recipes!
Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says
I am so glad to hear it, Sara! Enjoy!
Tallulah says
Yessss this is a lot like the Italian caponata with a different flavour profile – had no idea there was an Eastern European version! I am obsessed with eggplant so shall make this 🙂
Julia Frey says
Enjoy, Tallulah. I hope it becomes a favourite!
Natasha says
Thank you for your recipes and for evoking strong and happy childhood memories. Mine is currently cooking and I can wait to try ❤️
Julia Frey says
My pleasure, Natasha! Enjoy! 🙂
PATRICIA L BRENNER says
I love eggplant but I am allergic to tomatoes and tomato products. Would this be good if I left those out?
vikalinka says
You could definitely make it without tomatoes although they do add a bit of sweetness to the taste.
Jas says
This has become a staple in my kitchen and I make it nearly every time I find eggplants on sale. It works beautifully for meal prep – I can prep baked chicken, roasted vegetables, and either rice or quinoa and tie it all together with either a couple of spoonfuls of this, or a dressing/sauce of some sort so I have variety throughout the week. Next I need to try freezing a batch to see if its still as good thawed out – that would allow me to double up when I do cook and save even more time on my meal preps!
I did make a couple of changes on my end – instead of the tomato juice and ketchup, I just use a can of crushed or diced tomatoes. And to give it a bit more heat and smokiness I either add paprika or the korean chili powder gochugaru. It comes out delicious!
vikalinka says
I love the idea of adding some spice into it, Jas!! Now I am feeling hungry for some eggplant caviar!
Kealu says
Is the red pepper a spicy pepper or more like a bell pepper? This sounds delicious!
vikalinka says
Thank you. It’s like a bell pepper but even sweeter, Kealu!
Ingrid says
Love, love, love eggplant caviar. My mother’s recipe is different , just as you mentioned everyone has a slight variation. She would roast the eggplant in the oven, then scoop out the innards, and use a hand-crank grinder to course-grind the eggplant. The spread is wonderful on some dark rye bread. Thanks for your recipe and for stirring up some fond memories.
vikalinka says
I was considering doing it that way, Ingrid. That’s pretty much how I make baba ganoush but my mum and granny always had it slightly chunky, so I wanted to keep that tradition. 🙂 Yes, fresh rye bread would be so lovely with it!! Thank you for stopping by!