Smoked Eggplant and Yogurt Salad

Instructions

1. Heat a grill to medium-high heat. Rub the eggplant lightly with olive oil and grill until tender by laying the eggplant on its side and turning it every couple of minutes with a pair of tongs until it is fully charred and very soft, about 15 minutes. If you don’t have a grill, broil the eggplant until charred.
2. When the eggplant is cool enough to handle, peel it and coarsely chop the pulp. Place in a mesh sieve to drain. Pat the pulp dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture and place it in a bowl. Add tomato and scallions and toss to combine.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt and salt. Set aside.
4. Heat the peanut oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the ginger and cayenne pepper and let them sizzle for 10 seconds. Increase the heat to high and add the eggplant mixture. Fry, turning and tossing, until the tomatoes and scallions look a little fried and the eggplant loses its excess moisture and begins to look drier, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.
5. Fold in the cilantro and half of the cumin. When cool, add it to the yogurt mixture and stir to combine. Serve sprinkled with the remaining cumin and paprika.