Roasted Eggplant with Tahini Dressing

I have been waiting to share this gorgeous recipe of Roasted Eggplant with Tahini Dressing made in my OXO Good Grips Bakeware, with you guys. And about the surprise birthday party I hosted for my better half !

Did I tell you about the surprise birthday party, I had organised for my better half last month? No.. Oh dear!!
As the special Forty was approaching, this celebration had to be special apart from the customary birthday dine out and presents. I did rackle my head thinking what makes it special for him ? And I had my answer.

We are blessed with some extremely close friends { like family  more than family } in UK. And the day could not have been extra ordinary without them. A quick call to all our friends and it was a breezer to plan for about 25 adults + kids. We hatched a plan !! One of our friends called him to inform, he planning to visit a kin who lives near by on Saturday. So he called up to check if he could visit us too 🙂
With that as a base plan, Hari actually knew we have couple over for dinner. So our routine cleaning + an extra dose of sparkle purification happened. { happens only when guests come to visit you }
The day before the party, I had bought a Tiramisu Cake, cooked 3 curries, rice dish and hid them carefully 🙂 2 more friends offered usto make us 2 dishes and another picked up some delicious starters from a Sweets Shop in East Ham and this sorted out the dinner plan.

When the D- Day evening actually arrived, the Expected family walked in as planned with another couple and he was pleasantly surprised. The actually invited { univited in his opinion} couple said, they just chanced by and thought it wud be great to visit us 🙂 Drama and story kept building up.
After 30 minutes another Dad + daughter duo turned up asking for something… Well it was all a part of a plan. 10 minutes later, a gang of 10 came in.. And the Surprise Party happened!


He thoroughly cherished every minute of the surprise evening { my birthday gift) !

The yumm Indian starters – Kachori, Paneer Samosa’s from Buffalo Sweets Shop and Vada’s from another store had to be warmed before serving. I placed them on my new OXO Good Grips Non Stick Pro Ovenware and grilled for a few minutes. These starters were absolutely appetising and so were the Ovenware. Friends actually asked me where did you buy these heavy commercial grade bakeware? I was happily flaunting them and asked them to pick themselves a pair from Lakeland.

OXO Good Grips Non Stick Pro Ovenware is made from heavy-gauge aluminised steel sandwiched between two layers of ceramic-reinforced non-stick coating, so it really wont stain, chip or warp.Each pan is stamped with its size and, to guarantee every bake or roast is always to the same high standard, the whole range features a distinctive, dimpled cooking surface to improve airflow and give perfectly consistent results.
I love my Non Stick Pro Ovenware collection. Oh what fun it has been recipe testing and working with the premium quality bakeware and you are going to see a set of recipes that I had worked for OXO UK this month.

Disclosure : This Post is sponsored by OXO UK. All opinions expressed here are of my own and under no influence.

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ROASTED AUBERGINE WITH TAHINI DRESSING

Ingredients

Ingredients

• 2 Medium sized Aubergine
• 2 Tblspn of Olive Oil + 2 Tsp
• 1 Tsp of Sesame Oil
• 1 Tsp of Lemon Juice
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Tahin Dressing

• 1/2 Cup Greek Yogurt
• 3 1/2 Tbsp Tahini Paste
• 1 Clove of Crushed Garlic
• 1 Tblspn of Lemon Juice
• A fat pinch of Za ‘atar Spice
• Salt

Garnishes

• 2 Tblspn Pan Toasted Pinenuts
• 4 Tblspn Pomegranate kernels
• 1 Tblspn roughly chopped Coriander Leaves
• 10 -12 Mint Leaves
• Squeeze of Lemon

Equipments Needed

• OXO Good Grips Non Stick Pro Large Roasting Tin
• Parchment paper

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to to 180 C and line the Roasting Tray with Parchment Paper.
2. Slice the Aubergine in length into 2 halves. Score Criss Cross lines, making sure not to cut through the skin.
3. To a small bowl, add 2 Tblspn of Olive Oil , 1 Tsp of Sesame Oil, 1 Tsp of Lemon Juice and mix well.
4. Roughly spread the oil over the sliced Aubergine on the top and on the outer skin. Season well with roughly a tsp of salt and some pepper.
5. Place the oil coated Aubergine onto the Roasting Tray and bake for approximately 40 minutes. Check at 30 minutes if the flesh has softened. If not, continue to bake until 40 minutes. Remove the Baked Aubergine from the oven and allow it to cool. Again drizzle some Olive Oil on the roasted Aubergine.
6. Whilst the Aubergine is getting baked, prepare the Tahini Dressing. Place Greek Yogurt, Tahini Paste, lemon Juice, crushed garlic , za’ atar spice and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Stir until well combined. If the consistency is too thick, add a few tsp of water until desired proportion is achieved. Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired.
7. To serve, place the Roasted Aubergine on a platter, drizzle with Tahini Sauce. Scatter some Pinenuts, Pomegranates, some coriander leaves and mint leaves. Squeeze some lemon if required.
8. Tip:To make it spicy, sprinkle some crushed chilli flakes.