Romanian Eggplant Salad

Rinse the eggplant. Heat your grill pan. Grill the eggplant on each side; don’t forget to turn them over every 10 minutes or so. Grill them until they are covered in a black crust.

Peel the eggplant, cleaning off the black crust. Put them on a wooden platter and let them drain for at least half an hour. The liquid is bitter. The longer you drain them, the sweeter they’ll be.

Mash the eggplant pulp with a blunt, thick wooden knife on a wooden platter. (This is the secret to a delicious eggplant salad! Do not use a metal knife because it will turn the eggplant black and it will also make it bitter.)

Add the eggplant mash to a bowl and mix in the sunflower oil, salt, lemon juice and onion, stirring continuously.

It is best served cold. Enjoy!

Tips:
When buying eggplant, choose the thin or small ones because they have less seeds and a sweeter taste.
If you are not vegan, you can add an egg yolk instead of lemon juice. It has the same effect of whitening the salad.
Don’t store the eggplant salad in metal containers. It will turn black and change its taste.