Eggplant Caviar (“Ikra” in Russian; literal meaning: “caviar”) is another staple of Russian cuisine. That’s a wonderfully delicious vegetable spread which is perfect for late summer and early fall.
Eggplant Caviar
Hello everyone and happy (meteorological) start of fall! But we are not rushing the precious time -let’s not think about autumn until September, 22 or so. Agreed?
Last week I was excited to share with you a Russian recipe Zucchini Caviar. I am on the edge of my seat today as I am sharing one of my favourite Russian recipe ever, a Zucchini Caviar’s sophisticated cousin – Eggplant Caviar! Zucchini caviar is great too, but it’s kind of too homogeneous in terms of flavours and texture, even if you make it chunky. Eggplant Caviar is a different story; it is bolder and, and it has definitely got a character. As I said, a more sophisticated cousin.
Not much known about this recipe. It is believed that ‘caviar’ to have been imported from Persia (Iran) to Russia in the 17th century. According to Wikipedia, canned eggplant caviar was very much available in the stores along with zucchini caviar in the 1970s. However, while zucchini ‘ikra’ was an entirely popular product, people were not too enthusiastic about the eggplant one. This led eggplant caviar to appear in the movie, again as per the legend.
“Ivan Vasilievich: Back to the Future” or
When an Eggplant Caviar Was Featured in the Movie
Leonid Gaidai was one of the most successful Soviet filmmakers. He has been described as the king of Soviet comedy, and his movies are still beloved. One of these movies is Ivan Vasilievich: Back to the Future (Also know as Ivan Vasilievich Changes Profession.); one of the most attended movies in the Soviet Union in 1973 with more than 60 million tickets sold.
The plot? In a nutshell, thanks to a time machine accident, a modern person (from the 1970s), a superintendent of a Moskow’s apartment building, was sent back into the time of the Tzar Ivan IV “The Terrible” while the Ivan IV himself was sent into the future, to the modern Moscow. The twist? They are lookalikes but have completely different personalities, which results in funny situations of mistaken identity.
I have included the video, with English subtitles. Please spend an extra minute and watch that episode with the caviar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3xVdxDWFWU&t=4518s (Sorry – YouTube doesn’t allow me to post the link/video directly on the blog due to the region restriction. Please scroll down to 1:02:19; it will appear at ~1:03. Actually, it appears twice; the second time is ~1:18:17.)
This fact that ‘caviar’ wasn’t high in demand was sarcastically played so well, that with the movie becoming a blockbuster, the eggplant caviar immediately gained its popularity too. Since that it became a trend to serve some eggplant caviar in Soviet families, especially for holiday feasts. It is up to you either you believe this legend not, but you cannot disagree this is a scrumptious recipe!
As always, there are many ways to make this recipe (For starters, you can bake eggplant first). My main difference from most recipes you can find is the amount of oil. You know that eggplant could absorb as much oil as you would add. Trust me, 80% of recipes I have seen suggested using at least a cup of oil for almost the same proportion of veggies. One recipe suggested 500 (!) ml of oil – gosh, this is just ridiculous! What are we eating: vegetables or oil? Of course, you cannot skip the oil completely, but about 4 tablespoons would be sufficient.
How to serve Eggplant Caviar? The same idea as with zucchini one: as a dip with bread and a side dish with many things, especially starchy, from potatoes to rice. But probably my favourite one is with a spoon just straight out of a jar. Ether ways, that’s superbly delicious!
Happy Labour day and see you soon.
Notes
1. The proportion of veggies could be adjusted to your liking; I would suggest roughly 1 part of eggplant to 1 part of all the remaining vegetables.
2. It is a large portion (It roughly yields 8 to 10 cups of ‘caviar’. If you just want to give it a try, I recommend making only 1/2 or even 1/4 of this recipe; just reduce ingredients accordingly.
Ingredients
- 4 medium-large eggplant, roughly cut into pieces
- 2 large carrots, grated
- 2 large onions, roughly sliced
- 3-5 garlic cloves, roughly minced
- 4 large sweet peppers (red and orange). seeded and roughly sliced
- 3-4 tomatoes (or about 600-800 gr. canned tomatoes)
- 4 tbsp. olive oil, divided
- at least 1 tbsp. of salt
- black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 tbsp. of sugar
- 1-2 tbsp. apple vinegar
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika (optional)
- 1 tbsp. dried herbs (like Italian)
Instructions
- It is recommended to use two large pans to simplify and speed up the process. Heat two pans with half of the oil. Cook the onions and garlic 5 minutes.
- Add the carrots and peppers along with a little pinch of salt. Cook 10 minutes, until the veggies release some liquid first, then it’s evaporated and the veggies start to slightly brown.
- Add the tomatoes, sugar, dried herbs, and paprika. Cook 5-7 minutes then remove and transfer to a large heavy pot or pan. Set aside.
- Place the eggplant onto the same pan (s) and cook 5-7 minutes until the release the water and start to browning, over hight heat.
- Slightly reduce the heat (to medium), add the remaining oil and a pinch of salt, and cook for another 5 to10 minutes, until softened.
- Transfer the cooked eggplant to the pot with the remaining vegetables, return on the stovetop and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes. It is not a necessary step and you can skip it; however, it allows the vegetables to mingle nicely and develop flavours.
- Slightly cool. For any case, remove excessive liquid (some juices are ok) and set aside.
- Pure as desired. You could go with a really smooth version, medium chunky or very chunky. If it’s too thick to you liking, just add some of the reserved liquid.
- Try and season with more salt and pepper, if desired.
- From here, you have two options. You can enjoy it as it or transfer the pureed mixture back into the pan and cook, stirring, for 5-7 minutes; that thickens the spread and bring in the flavours even more.
- Cool then keep refrigerated for up to one week.
- Enjoy!
Hi – I’m Ben, a blogger, recipe developer, and food photographer. I’m glad you’re here! I hope you will enjoy hundreds of delicious recipes and a pinch of havoc in the kitchen.
Ben, this looks so delish! I love eggplant recipes and have a couple beatiful ones in the crisper right now. Might give this recipe a try! Thanks!
It looks quite lovely and I’m sure it’s tasty with all those flavor combos going on. It would be great for snacking or a party dip! Pinning for later!
I’ve had caviar, but never eggplant caviar! I’ve got to say, I’m totally digging this, Ben! And, how cool is it that this caviar gained popularity from a movie?! FUN! I love eggplant, so I really can’t wait to make this!!
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary recently posted…Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Wow this Caviar is bursting with flavor and love how it makes the most of late summer’s bounty! I’m with you, not ready to turn the page to fall just yet. This hearty dip is perfect for game days and anytime snacking. Well done, Ben!
Kim | Give it Some Thyme recently posted…Grilled Greek Panzanella Salad – A Must Make!
I haven’t made this in eons!! I love your recipe with the reduced amount of oil…means I can eat more of it!!
We got 2 eggplants in our farm share and now I know just what to do with them! Love the movie connection too. And, is David right? Is that how dinner looks every night in your house? ;)
This recipe sounds like its packed with flavor, Ben! And I love the movie story behind this one. I watched that portion of the video, and I have to say this is how I imagine dinner looks each night in your house. Am I right??
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