Patlican salatasi (Turkish eggplant salad) is a classic Turkish dish that is made with roasted vegetables and seasoned with spicy red chili flakes. It's one of the most delicious Turkish side dishes and one of my childhood favorites! Plus, you can serve it with a variety of dishes for a delicious Mediterranean-style meal.
If you've been to Turkey before, then you might already know how delicious patlican salatasi (Turkish eggplant salad, called közlenmiş patlıcan salatası in Turkish) is! It's an incredibly tasty side salad made with roasted eggplants, tomatoes, and Turkish peppers.
It's my family's go-to salad for barbecues during summer as roasting the vegetables on a grill really enhances the flavor and aroma of the salad. But you can easily prepare this salad at home using your oven.
So if you love eggplants and Mediterranean flavors, I highly recommend trying this salad! It's absolutely amazing!
Patlican Salatasi Ingredients
To make patlican salatasi you'll need the following ingredients:
- Eggplants: You can use regular eggplants to make this Turkish eggplant salad.
- Tomatoes: You'll also need tomatoes to make this dish. If possible, make sure that the tomatoes you use are ripe as the quality of tomatoes really affects the flavor of the salad.
- Bell pepper: Red bell peppers are often used to make Turkish eggplant salad. You can pick another color or use multiple colors, just make sure that the bell pepper you use tastes sweet and not bitter.
- Turkish peppers: When you make this salad, I'd recommend going to a Turkish or Middle Eastern grocery store to buy sivri biber and carliston biber. Both are Turkish peppers that make this salad super delicious and special. If you can't find them, feel free to omit them or use a green bell pepper.
- Pul biber: Pul biber (also called Aleppo pepper) is the type of red chili flakes that is used in Turkey. Most stores sell aci pul biber (spicy chili flakes) or tatli pul biber (sweet chili flakes). I always use the spicy ones but you can use the sweeter ones or mix both.
How to make patlican salatasi
Preheat and prepare. First, preheat the oven to 450 °F (230 °C). Place all the ingredients on a baking sheet.
Roast the vegetables. Roast the vegetables in the oven until softened and browned, about 40-50 minutes. Occasionally flip the vegetables to make them brown from all sides. They should be quite dark from the outside for the best flavor.
Peel and chop. After letting the roasted vegetables cool a little bit, peel and cut them into pieces with a knife. Make sure that they are slightly mashed when you cut them. Place the chopped vegetables in a mixing bowl.
Season. Now add the olive oil, salt, pepper, and pul biber (Turkish red chili flakes) to the same bowl. Stir until combined and adjust the seasoning to taste.
Serve. Enjoy the salad immediately while still warm or store it in your refrigerator to enjoy it later.
Tips & Notes
- If possible roast the vegetables on a grill. A lot of the flavor comes from roasting the vegetables and there is no better way to do this than using a grill. There is quite a difference in flavor between roasting in the oven and roasting on a grill. That being said, patlican salatasi will taste great even if you use the oven. That's how I make this salad since it's more convenient. But when I'm with my family and we have a barbecue, we always make this salad using the grill as it tastes so delicious!
- Roast the vegetables until the skin is quite dark. Don't worry too much about dark brown or black spots as the skin will be discarded later. It's necessary to roast the vegetables until quite browned to make the salad taste flavorful and delicious.
- Let the roasted vegetables cool before you peel and chop them. As the vegetables are quite hot when they come out of the oven, it's easy to burn yourself. Just wait a few minutes before proceeding with the recipe.
- Be sure to slightly mash the vegetables when cutting them. Patlican salatasi usually has a combination of clearly cut and slightly mashed pieces. Just chop the soft vegetables into pieces while holding them in your hand. There is no need to cut them into actual pieces on a cutting board. That's how you achieve the perfect texture!
- Serve this Turkish eggplant salad while it's still warm. Patlican salatasi is a salad that is usually served at room temperature or warm. There is no need to cool it in the refrigerator before serving it.
How to serve patlican salatasi
- When you use the grill, serve this Turkish eggplant salad alongside grilled meat. You could grill chicken wings, beef patties, a steak, or any other type of meat. This salad simply tastes amazing with any type of grilled meat!
- Roast pide bread on your grill to serve it with the meat and patlican salatasi. There isn't much that can beat pide bread that is roasted on the grill after grilling meat. The bread soaks up all the delicious flavor and aroma and tastes super delicious this way!
- Prepare Turkish beef köfte using your oven, air fryer, or grill. You could make beef köfte using ground beef, chopped parsley, chopped onion, pul biber, salt, and pepper. They taste great and are super easy to make!
- Sear, bake, or grill your favorite type of fish and serve it with this Turkish eggplant salad. Fish is another type of protein that tastes great with patlican salatasi.
- Roast some potatoes in your oven. Roasted potatoes always taste great with this Turkish eggplant salad! Just use some olive oil, salt, pepper, pul biber, and a small amount of salça (Turkish red pepper paste, optional) to season them.
Variations
- Change the ratio of tomatoes to eggplant. There are many different ways to make this salad and most families have their own recipe. Some people prefer less tomato and more eggplant. I think this salad tastes absolutely amazing as is, but feel free to change things if you want to.
- Add some minced garlic to the salad. I'm used to eating patlican salatasi without garlic as that's how we make it at home, but some people like adding minced garlic with the other seasonings. So feel free to add some if you want.
- Use pomegranate molasses if you want to add some acidity. Other options are lemon juice or vinegar. I prefer this salad without any of these ingredients, but your personal preferences might be different. They are common additions to patlican salatasi.
- Garnish with parsley to make things look pretty. Turkish eggplant salad doesn't use any parsley, but it's sometimes garnished with it to make the salad look nicer. So feel free to add some chopped parsley on top.
Frequently Asked Questions
Patlican salatasi is a Turkish eggplant salad that uses roasted eggplants, tomatoes, and peppers. The salad is often seasoned with Turkish red chili flakes to add some spice. It's a classic Turkish dish that is often served with grilled meat. It's one of my childhood favorites and a must-make for anyone who likes some spice and Mediterranean flavors!
Yes, it is! It's my family's recipe and one of my favorite Turkish dishes.
It's very aromatic, spicy, and delicious. Most of the flavor comes from roasting the vegetables which adds a super delicious smokiness to the salad. So if you like eggplants and Mediterranean flavors, I absolutely recommend trying this recipe!
It's often spicy. But you can easily make it milder by adjusting the amount of pul biber (Turkish red chili flakes) that you use. Also, sivri biber can sometimes be quite spicy. So if you are sensitive to heat, I recommend using only carliston biber. They are usually mild.
This salad tastes amazing with any type of grilled or roasted meat or fish. I recommend checking out the post where I've provided more information.
You can store leftovers in an airtight container in your refrigerator for 3-5 days. I like to reheat the salad to room temperature before enjoying it again.
More simple and delicious Turkish recipes
If you love Turkish food and want to try more authentic Turkish dishes, I recommend checking out the following recipes!
Patlican Salatasi (Turkish Eggplant Salad)
Ingredients
- 3 eggplants
- 6 tomatoes
- 1 large red or yellow bell pepper or 2 small bell peppers
- 2 carliston biber
- 4 sivri biber
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 - 2 teaspoons pul biber (Turkish red chili flakes) also called Aleppo pepper, adjust to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 °F (230 °C). Place all the ingredients on a baking sheet.3 eggplants, 6 tomatoes, 1 large red or yellow bell pepper, 2 carliston biber, 4 sivri biber
- Then roast until the vegetables have softened and browned, about 40 minutes. Make sure to occasionally flip the vegetables so that they brown from all sides. Don't worry if they brown too much, the skin will be discarded later.
- Peel the vegetables and discard the skin. With a knife, cut the roasted vegetables into pieces and make sure that they are mashed slightly while cutting them. Place everything in a mixing bowl.
- Add the olive oil, salt, pepper, and pul biber to the bowl. Then stir until combined. Feel free to adjust the seasoning to taste.1 tablespoon olive oil (optional), salt and pepper, 1 - 2 teaspoons pul biber (Turkish red chili flakes)
- Enjoy the salad while still warm or store it in your refrigerator.
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