Caramelised onion and aubergine dip

A deliciously savoury and rich aubergine dip with the sweetness of caramelised onions. Easy to make from just five ingredients, it’ll soon be a favourite!

We live in Cambridge, far from the delights of a major centre of Jewish population. There are no kosher shops here, and we have to make do with the small kosher sections in larger shops, plus what Ocado and the internet can provide.

A while ago we were staying in Manchester, where there are many kosher shops, and I ordered a grocery delivery from one of them. Alongside the familiar tubs of humous and dips, I also ordered a tub of “eggplant salad”, thinking that my daughter Kippper would enjoy it – aubergines (eggplants) are among her favourite vegetables.

(I did also wonder if this was a particularly Jewish aubergine salad. As I mentioned in this post about caponata alla giudia, aubergines were eaten by Jews and Arabs for centuries before the rest of the population of Europe caught on.)

Delicious aubergine dip

Turns out that “eggplant salad” isn’t really a salad at all, but a dip or spread. It was however DELICIOUS. We all adored its rich, sweet and savoury flavour. The ingredients list looked promisingly short, so I decided to have a crack at making it at home.

What goes into onion & aubergine dip?

The ingredients are basically onions, aubergines, oil, mayonnaise and seasonings. Simple enough. I’ve no idea how the shop-bought dip is prepared, but I simply fried up the onions and aubergines, then blended them with the other ingredients.

I cooked the vegetables separately, so that I could spend some time ensuring that the onions were deeply caramelised and golden. We all agreed that this is essential to the delicious flavour of the finished dip.

If you are fussy about bits of aubergine skin in your dip, you can peel them before frying. We aren’t and I didn’t. I actually can’t remember now whether there were bits of aubergine skin in the original dip or not.

Either way, don’t over process the dip – it should be a bit chunky as well as creamy, and not just a smooth and homogenous paste.

Don’t rush it

Unfortunately, this aubergine dip recipe does take a little while to make, mostly because of the onions. You need to cook them low and slow and allow them to really caramelise, and it does take a bit of time.

Fortunately, you don’t need to obsessively watch them while they do this. Apart from giving them the occasional stir, you can get on with something else at the same time. Chop veggies, empty the dishwasher, read a magazine. Whatever needs doing.

Once the onions are golden brown and really soft, cooking up the aubergine and then whizzing everything together is the work of just a few minutes.

Make it vegan!

This wonderful eggplant dip is naturally vegetarian, but it’s easy to make it completely vegan. Simply substitute a vegan mayonnaise for the regular kind, and you’re all set.

There are a few vegan mayonnaises available, including some which are kosher approved/certified. For instance both Heinz vegan mayo and Vegenaise are suitable for kosher consumers.

Ingredients for making caramelised onion and aubergine dip

This wonderful creamy and flavourful Jewish aubergine salad/dip contains just a few basic ingredients. You will need:

• Aubergine – aka eggplant
• Onions
• Olive oil – for frying
• Mayonnaise, or vegan mayo
• Salt and pepper to season

That’s it! You’ll also need a stick blender or food processor to whizz the ingredients into a dip. And you may like to use some fresh herbs like dill, parsley or coriander (cilantro) to decorate.

Is this aubergine dip healthy?

Like many foods, this dip has good points and bad points!

Caramelised onion and aubergine dip contains mostly vegetables, which contribute dietary fibre as well as vitamins and minerals to your diet. However, it also contains a lot of fat, and the mayonnaise is highly processed.

On balance, I’d say this delicious dip is an occasional treat rather than a daily staple. Enjoy it on Shabbat, but don’t plan a week’s worth of packed lunches around it!

An aubergine dish for the aubergine dip

I have received so many messages and comments complimenting my lovely aubergine dish! Thank you! Unfortunately, I can’t remember where I bought it – it’s been rattling around in the cupboard for years.

However, I did manage to find a couple on Amazon that are similar. There’s this set of two aubergine dishes plus six adorable mini aubergine chopstick rests (only one dish shown below, left) and this lovely rustic aubergine dip bowl (right).

How to make aubergine dip

The aubergine dip recipe is super simple, but it does take some time. Fortunately, you can get on with other things while the onions are caramelising – just remember to give them a little stir every so often.

To make the aubergine dip, simply follow these steps:

1. Slowly cook sliced onions in olive oil until caramelised and golden brown.
2. Remove the onions from the pan, add more oil and the diced aubergine, and cook for a few minutes.
3. Add the cooked aubergines to the onions, then add mayonnaise and seasoning.
4. Whizz with a stick blender until you have a dip! You can make it as chunky or as smooth as you prefer.

That’s it!

When to serve aubergine dip

Because this aubergine dip is so delicious, and also takes a little while to make, I tend to save it for Friday night. We eat it as a starter for our Shabbat dinner, and it’s gorgeous spread onto slices of fresh challah.

Any leftovers are great in a sandwich, or just yummy scooped up on crudités and crackers. I’ve also dolloped this aubergine dip into a jacket potato with great results.

Aubergine dip is also great as part of a mezze spread, with humous, matboucha, tabbouleh salad and so on. If you’re planning a buffet or party food, add ‘aubergine mezze dip’ to your list!

However you serve it, you can now enjoy this Jewish “aubergine salad” even when you’re nowhere near a Jewish shop!

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