Whole burnt aubergine with charred egg yolk, tahini & chilli sauce

Ingredients

• 2 aubergines
• 50g tahini paste
• 50ml ice-cold water
• 2 egg yolks from beautiful eggs

For the lemon, chilli and garlic dressing

• 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
• 1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
• 3 large garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• Juice of 1-2 lemons
• 1 tsp table salt
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 bunch of parsley, leaves picked and chopped

Method

Place the whole aubergines on a very hot grill, or directly on the embers if you prefer. Let them scorch all over, turning occasionally, until the skin is charred and the flesh is so soft that it seems they are going to collapse.

While the aubergines are cooking, combine all the dressing ingredients apart from the chopped parsley. Separately mix the tahini paste with the water to form a thick whipped cream consistency.

Once the aubergines are fully blackened, remove from the grill onto serving plates and slit open to reveal the flesh.

Add the parsley to the dressing and mix well. Use half the dressing to douse the flesh of the slit aubergines, then top with the whipped tahini. Use the back of a spoon to create a little well in the tahini and place a raw egg yolk in the centre of each one. Using tongs, carefully remove a hot charcoal from the fire and lightly char the top of each yolk. Return the coal to the fire and drizzle the remaining dressing over the aubergines before serving.

To cook without a barbecue: cook the aubergines on your highest grill setting or in a super-hot oven at 220C, remembering to pierce them with a fork beforehand, as they have a tendency to explode. Scorch one side, then rotate and char the next section until the flesh of the aubergine is completely soft. Use a blow torch to scorch the surface of the egg yolk, or simply heat the back of a spoon over a flame and use that instead.

Image: Patricia Niven

Recipe from Chasing Smoke: Cooking over Fire Around the Levant (Pavilion Books)