Eggplant Burgers with Toasted Cumin Ketchup

By Bibigallini

These burgers are absolutely one of the best burger recipes. They are huge hits not only with adults, but with kids, as well, which surprised me.

Toasted sesame oil is used to give the eggplant a bit more depth of taste than olive oil would give,
though olive oil will work just fine. The oil needs to come to the right heat before the eggplant is
added, or else the eggplant will absorb all the oil before it properly cooks. Balsamic vinegar is used in
the ketchup to give the ketchup a burst of flavor that a normal vinegar would not impart. Arugula
lends not only a peppery taste to the burger, but a light presentation. Finally, these are served open-faced
so that the bread does not overwhelm the eggplant patty.

Ingredients

• 1 large, wide eggplant, sliced into ¾” rounds
• 1 tbsp. of toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 ¼ tsp. of salt
• 1 tsp. of whole cumin seeds
• 1/4 ¼ cup of tomato paste
• 2 tbsp. of balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup of arugula
• 2 buns or 4 slices of bread (kalamata olive bread, roasted garlic bread, and focaccia all make great
• burger buns for this recipe)*

Preparation

Step 1

Slice the eggplant into ¾” thick rounds.
Bring the oil and salt to a medium high heat.
Once the oil is hot, add the eggplant and sauté both sides until soft and well‐browned.
Option: If you need to further soften the eggplant, but it’s getting too browned, you can add a thin
layer of water to the pan to finish it off by simmering.
Toast the cumin seeds over a medium heat in a dry pan for about 3 minutes.
Grind the toasted cumin into a powder.
Combine the tomato paste and balsamic vinegar.
Toast the buns or bread.
Spread the ketchup on the bread, place the eggplant slices on the bread, and top with arugula.

*These are meant to be served open-‐faced, which is why there are only two buns/four slices of bread
in the recipe. However, if you prefer a closed sandwich, use fairly thinly sliced bread.

Low‐fat Version
Instead of sautéing the eggplant in oil, sauté them on both sides in a dry pan until they are lightly
browned, then add a thin layer of water to the pan to soften the eggplant slices by simmering them.

Raw Version
Use a sun-dried tomato puree for the ketchup. To soften the eggplant, salt the eggplant and place a
heavy weight over the slices. Allow this to sit for a couple hours, then rinse the salt off the eggplant.
Serve this over a raw bread or in a lettuce wrap.