Tastes Like Home
“This eggplant is one of those recipes that instantly takes me back to our family floor gatherings. It’s simple, humble and made from ingredients many people overlook, yet it proves that the most memorable meals don’t come from restaurants but from a home filled with love, fresh produce and people gathered around the same table…or, in our case, the same newspaper on the floor. ” – Fatimah Omran
Fatimah Omran says…
My family never dined out in restaurants in the 80s and 90s. I grew up with a father who believed that home-cooked food, even if it was nothing more than a fried vegetable wrapped in pita bread, was better than anything you could buy from a takeaway shop.
Most Saturdays I would accompany my dad to Sydney’s Flemington markets, where we would fill our trolley with boxes of seasonal produce. We lived on a street filled with relatives and friends, and when our tiny kitchen couldn’t hold everything, we’d share our finds with them.
A box of eggplants would cost $8, and from that one box Mum would create a variety of Middle Eastern dishes, each completely different from the last – like eggplant simmered in a yoghurt sauce served over rice or, on fried-fish days, fried crispy eggplant.
We’d lay newspaper on the floor, food in the middle, and pass around a bag of fresh Lebanese pita bread to scoop up the tangy eggplant, dipping each bite into creamy tahini tarator.
Our main meal was served as soon as we got home from school, and we always ate together as a family. As the eldest, I was expected to stand beside Mum in the kitchen on weekends. I watched her pour ingredients straight into the pot without measuring, sprinkle salt with her fingertips and stand a silver spoon upright in the rice to judge whether she’d added enough water. Somehow, every meal came out perfectly.
My parents migrated from Tripoli, Lebanon, carrying with them not just recipes but a deep pride in their heritage. They never hesitated to share our food with neighbours or anyone who stopped by. Sharing food is not just part of our culture but a way of showing hospitality and generosity.
This eggplant is one of those recipes that instantly takes me back to our family floor gatherings. It’s simple, humble and made from ingredients many people overlook, yet it proves that the most memorable meals don’t come from restaurants but from a home filled with love, fresh produce and people gathered around the same table…or, in our case, the same newspaper on the floor.
Ingredients
Serves 6-8
2 eggplants, washed, sliced into 1cm-thick rounds
1 cup (150g) plain flour
vegetable oil, for deep-frying
pita bread, to serve
Topping
2 tomatoes, diced
1 Lebanese cucumber, diced
1 spring onion, sliced
10g flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
juice of ½ lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
Method
Place the eggplant slices into a colander and sprinkle lightly with salt. Place over a bowl and stand for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, to make the topping, combine the ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
Pat the eggplant slices dry with paper towels. Spread the flour onto a plate. Coat each eggplant slice on both sides with the flour and shake off excess.
Pour enough vegetable oil into a large, deep frying pan so it is about 2cm deep. Heat over medium-high heat. Test the oil is hot enough by adding a pinch of flour. If it sizzles immediately, the oil is ready.
Add a few eggplant slices one by one to the hot oil. Don’t overcrowd the pan. Cook for 2–3 minutes on each side until golden, then remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Repeat until all eggplant slices are cooked.
Arrange cooked eggplant on a platter and top with vegetable topping. Season with salt. Enjoy with pita bread.
NOTE Although eggplants are traditionally fried in oil in Middle Eastern cuisine, you may take the healthier option and drizzle them with olive oil and air fry or bake them.
MIDDLE EASTERN SIMPLE BY FATIMAH OMRAN IS OUT NOW THROUGH PENGUIN BOOKS AUSTRALIA
Plan to recreate this dish at home?
Tag us with your creation!
@bigissueaustralia #TASTESLIKEHOME
Published in ed#766