Carrot Zaalouk: A Moroccan-style Vegetable Purée

Zaalouk is usually described as Moroccan eggplant caviar. But in reality, it is possible to prepare this oriental specialty with other vegetables than eggplant and tomatoes. Here is an easy recipe for carrot zaalouk.

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients needed to make carrot zaalouk for 4 people:

800 g of carrots
the juice of half a lemon
2 teaspoons of garlic semolina
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of paprika
4 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of chopped parsley
salt and pepper

Preparation

Zaalouk is a Moroccan specialty that is always prepared the same way, regardless of the vegetables used.

The vegetables are first steamed or boiled in water before being mashed and sautéed in olive oil with garlic, parsley and spices.

1- To make carrot zaalouk, peel and wash the carrots and cut them into thin slices.

2- Steam the carrot slices until they are tender, about 20 minutes.

3- Coarsely crush the cooked carrot slices with a fork before cooking.

Cooking

1- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet or sauté pan.

2- Add the mashed carrots and season with lemon juice, garlic powder, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper.

3- Let the carrot zaalouk simmer over low heat for about 8-10 minutes while continuing to stir and mash it with a fork.

4- At the end of cooking, add the chopped parsley and 2 spoons of olive oil then let it cool.

Good to know

Zaalouk is usually presented as a vegetable caviar to be enjoyed warm or cold with bread.

Copyright: Audrey Vautherot

But, in fact, it can be served as an appetizer or as a side dish to a main course.

For my part, I served this carrot zaalouk with pan-fried salmon. I found that the spicy, lemony flavor of this side dish went very well with the fish.