Saksuka (Turkish Aubergine Meze)

Saksuka (Turkish Aubergine Meze) is a very much loved vegetarian/vegan dish made of shallow-fried vegetables and a simple tomato sauce. The star ingredient for this traditional Turkish dish is the aubergines/eggplants and the rest of the vegetables added to the dish vary from region to region.

Jump to:

• Why This Recipe Works?
• Ingredients and Substitutes for Şakşuka
• Step-by-step Instructions
• Related Recipes
• Top Tip From the Chef
• Şakşuka (Turkish Aubergine Meze)

Şakşuka is such a great versatile dish that can be served as a part of a mezze spread, as a side dish or an appetiser. Also, you can make this tasty vegetarian dish all year-round with any vegetables that are in season as long as you keep the aubergines and tomatoes as the main ingredients!

Why This Recipe Works?

• It's a versatile dish that you can enjoy all-year around. You can use any vegetables available or in season. You can also adjust the spiciness by adding chillies.

• It is extremely delicious and very easy to make. 

• You can prepare this saksuka recipe in advance and keep it at room temperature.  

• You can keep the leftovers for up to a week refrigerated in an airtight container.

Ingredients and Substitutes for Şakşuka

• Aubergines - Pick slightly firm but not hard aubergines when buying them. Peel them in stripes like a zebra pattern and cut them into bite-sized chunks.

• Potatoes - Use potatoes with high startch content such as Russets, Desire, King Edwards, Maris Piper or Gold Rush potatoes.

• Peppers - I prefer using Turkish green peppers for this dish. They are one of the most popular peppers used in Turkish cuisine. They are usually mild but some of them can be quite hot. You can replace them with bell pepper or Spanish Padron peppers.

• Tomatoes - Red & juicy summer tomatoes are always the best option but you can use any type of tomatoes you have in hand. If you want to use tinned tomatoes, make sure you add some sugar to balance the acidity.

• Olive oil - It is an important ingredient to achieve the best taste in olive oil based dishes. I prefer extra virgin olive oil but you can use any oil you like cooking with.

• Garlic - It gives a great flavour to the simple tomato sauce. Finely chop or grate using a Microplane Zester Grater before adding it to the sauce.

Step-by-step Instructions

Making this delicious Turkish aubergine dish is quite simple. However, to achieve the best results, you need to follow a few simple tips:

• Prepare the vegetables - Cut off both ends of the aubergines using a paring knife and peel the skin in strips, going from top to bottom. Do this carefully making sure you save as much flesh as you can. Cut the aubergines into bite-sized chunks a size of one centimeter long. Peel the potatoes and then cut them similar in size to the aubergines. Slice the Turkish peppers in chunky size (or dice the bell pepper) similar in size to the potatoes & aubergines.

• Fry the vegetables - Place a large frying pan on medium-high heat and then add half of the olive oil to the pan. Make sure all of your vegetables are totally dry before starting to fry them. When the oil is hot, lower the heat to medium, place the potatoes carefully in the pan and then fry them until golden outside and soft inside. Remove the potatoes in a colander or on a thick paper towel to get rid of excess oil. Carefully add the peppers to the pan and then fry them for a few minutes, until they are slightly softened. Put them on a colander together with the potatoes. Add the other half of the olive oil and then start frying your aubergines. Fry them until tender and just beginning to brown at the edges. Don't be tempted to add more olive oil! Remove the aubergines from the pan on a thick paper towel to get rid of excess oil.

• Prepare the tomato sauce - Put a little olive oil to the same pan you fried your vegetables (if needed) and then quickly sauté the garlic. Add the tomatoes and salt, give it a stir and then let the sauce simmer until most of the liquid is reduced. Place the potatoes, peppers, and aubergines on a serving bowl/plate and then give them a gentle mix. Pour the tomato sauce on top and then let it cool down to room temperature before serving.

You can stir the tomato sauce with the vegetables if you prefer and then top it with some garlicky yogurt sauce before serving.

Related Recipes

For more delicious and healthy Turkish vegetable side dish recipes why not try:

• Barbunya (Turkish Style Borlotti Beans)

• Vegan Moussaka with Aubergine

• Piyaz (Turkish Bean Salad)

• Courgette Fritters (Mucver) Recipe

• Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

• Mediterranean Green Beans (Taze Fasulye)

Top Tip From the Chef

Use a very good quality olive oil as it's the oil that will affect the taste of the dish, same as many other olive oil based vegetarian Turkish dishes.

I hope you enjoy the process of making this Turkish aubergine dish as much as you enjoy eating it ! 🙂

Bon appétit! / Afiyet Olsun!

FOOD SAFETY

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Don’t leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

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