The recipe for vinete - the traditional Romanian eggplant salad or dip made with roasted eggplants and mayonnaise or oil.
Vinete or roasted eggplant salad or dip is probably the most common thing to eat in Romania during summer.
Use those wonderfully roasted eggplants to make the most delicious Romanian roasted eggplant or aubergine salad, dressed with mayonnaise and garlic or with sunflower oil and onions.
This is an updated post for the vinete recipe describing in detail each method of grilling eggplants, roasting eggplants on the stovetop, or baking eggplants in the oven.
Check out more delicious Romanian eggplant recipes: Eggplant Chicken or Eggplant in Tomato Sauce.
Ingredients: 3 for each version + salt & pepper | Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 40 minutes | Servings: 10-12 | Difficulty: Easy
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How to roast, grill, or bake eggplants?
There are three ways to cook the eggplants, and each influences the salad's flavor.
Grill
Prick the eggplants and grill them over medium-low heat, turning regularly, for 20-40 minutes. They are ready when the skin is evenly charred, and the flesh has collapsed and is very soft. This traditional Romanian method gives the salad the smokiest flavor.
Stovetop
Cover the area around the burners with foil. Prick the eggplants and place them directly over the flames, turning with tongs until charred all over and very soft, about 10-15 minutes. This was my grandmother's method and is the quickest option. The flavor is smoky but slightly milder than when grilled.
Oven
Place the eggplants on a lined baking sheet and bake at 350°F/180°C for about 45 minutes or until very soft. This is the most convenient method, although it won't produce the same smoky flavor.
And now that you know all the methods there are of cooking aubergines for making things like this Romanian Eggplant Salad, you could also make Ajvar and Zacusca - The Best Vegetable Spread Ever.
How to make vinete?
Let the cooked eggplants cool, remove the skin, and drain them in a sieve for 30-60 minutes. Chop them with a wooden or regular knife. A food processor also works, but it creates a smoother, mousse-like consistency.
Make two versions of vinete
With oil and onions: The traditional version my grandmother made uses sunflower oil and very finely chopped onions. Avoid olive oil if you want an authentic Romanian flavor.
With mayonnaise: I prefer this version, made with homemade whole egg mayonnaise and two or three grated garlic cloves instead of onions.
Serve the vinete on fresh bread with tomato wedges and feta cheese, if you like.
Romanian Eggplant Salad - Vinete
Ingredients
Eggplants:
- 3 medium eggplants
- parsley
- bread and tomatoes to serve
Mayonnaise dressing:
- 2-4 tablespoons homemade mayonnaise or your favorite brand, to taste
- 2-3 garlic cloves to taste
- salt and pepper
Oil and onion dressing:
- 3-4 tablespoons sunflower oil I prefer a milder sort
- 1 small onion
- salt and pepper
Instructions
Grill method (Note 1):
- Grill the eggplants on medium-low to low temperature, somewhere between 20 and 40 minutes or until the skin is evenly charred and the eggplant collapses; the flesh should be really soft.3 medium eggplants
Stovetop method:
- Put some foil around the burners of the stovetop to make sure that the liquid released by the eggplants won't cause too much of a mess. Prick the eggplants with a fork several times and lay them directly on the flame of the burners.
- Turn regularly with a pair of tongs, making sure that the skin is burnt on all sides. Cook until the skin is evenly charred and the flesh of the eggplants very soft. This should take about 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of the eggplants.
Oven method:
- Bake: Place the eggplants on a baking tray lined with parchment paper or foil and bake in a preheated oven at 350°F/ 180°C for about 45 minutes or until the flesh of the eggplants is very soft.
Roasted Eggplant Salad - Vinete:
- Peel and drain: After grilling, roasting, or baking the eggplants, let them cool, then carefully remove all the skin. Place the eggplants in a sieve and let drain for about half an hour to one hour.
- Chop with a special wooden knife made especially for this purpose (if you are Romanian and have one, of course) or with a regular knife. You could process the eggplants in the food processor; the salad will then have a mousse-like consistency, which is delicious but not very authentic. I prefer to chop the salad rather roughly so that I have something to chew here and there.
Mayonnaise dressing:
- Mix the chopped eggplants with 2-4 tablespoons of mayonnaise, preferably homemade (to taste); add the grated garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Mix very well. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with bread and tomatoes.2-4 tablespoons homemade mayonnaise + 2-3 garlic cloves + salt and pepper
Oil dressing:
- Mix the chopped eggplants with the very finely chopped onion and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with bread and tomatoes.3-4 tablespoons sunflower oil + 1 small onion + salt and pepper
Notes
- See the post for a more detailed description of the cooking methods.
Nutrition
Joe says
Would you possibly have a recipe for "mititei" the small and delicious sausage sold as street food.
I have not been able to find it in the US.
Adina says
Hi Joe. Unfortunatelly, I don't have one on my blog. If you speak Romanian, you will find plenty online. If not, you can try https://www.thebossykitchen.com/mititei-romanian-grilled-sausages-recipe/
Felicia says
This is the closest recipe to the one I used. I baked eggplants on barbecue grill though and I use a lot of garlic and red onion ( or green onion if available).
Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Adina says
Baking the eggplants on the grill is the best way to go - the best flavor. I try to do that in summer as often as I can.
Marcela says
Buna ziua Adina!
I absolutely love this! It's so simple to make and delicious! I make it all the time here in Brazil.
I was wondering if I can save it in jars like zacusca or if it's not possible due to the mayo?
Mulțumesc!
Adina says
Buna Marcela. You can't can them. But you can do like my grandma always did. Prepare the eggplants, chop and freeze them in freezer bags. When you want to serve them, defrost one bag (it doesn't take long), add mayo and everything else.
Aimee says
Adina, thank you for this recipe! While not Romanian myself, I have adopted the country as my own after many trips and am quite happy to have this resource for recreating some of my favorite recipes! One question though - what do you do with the eggplant seeds? Do you just leave them? I don't remember noticing them in the vinete I've had before, but I seem to have many in the eggplants I have roasted!
Adina says
Hi Aimee. So nice to read your comment. Yes, definitely leave the seeds inside, they belong there. They are always in vinete, but they are small and everything is mashed, so you really have to look hard to find them. 🙂
Roz says
I love this romainian eggplant salad that my grandmother used to make. I don’t have a grill or a gas stove but I bake the eggplants in my microwave any pricking the skin when soft enough, I slice it open to cool, then scrape the flesh from the skin and Procter to chopping adding minced onions & garlic, salt & pepper. Then enough oil to mix in.. DELICIOUS
Adina says
Thank you for the comment, Roz, it completes the article on how to cook eggplants . I don't have a microwave, so I could not have added this Information myself. It's great that you did.
Abigayle says
Adina, while I have lived in the U.S. most of my life, I am half Romanian. It was such a pleasant surprise to stumble on this group of recipes. Since I have been cooking for over fifty years I can tell these are good ones and will try some this week, using everything from my garden. Thank You! Abigayle Robu-Lofgren
Adina says
Hi Abigayle. Thank you for your comment. I am so glad you like the recipes, let me know when you try something. 🙂
Mari says
Just heavenly delicious! Followed the recipe exactly!! Looking forward to our Romania trip this summer to try it there.
Adina says
Thank you, Mari. If I may suggest concerning your trip to Romania. Do visit Sibiu if possible, it is wonderful and it has so much to offer.