One of the dishes from my childhood I couldn’t wait to share with you – the Georgian appetizer Nigvziani Badrijani or, simply put – eggplant rolls with walnut filling.
Obsessed with everything eggplant, I identified Georgian cuisine as my favorite at a very early age. Years later, after treating my Canadian husband to some scrumptious pkhali (walnut paste-based veggie appetizers), khachapuri (cheese-filled yeast bread), and khinkali (juicy soup dumplings mainly filled with lamb) I converted him, too.
Recently we made a Georgian feast at home, which inspired me to re-make all of the dishes from my childhood. And in case you’re wondering why my Ukrainian childhood is full of memories of the cuisine from 1000 miles away – I was lucky to experience Georgian food galore in some phenomenal restaurants of Crimea. Of course, they were run and chef-ed by Georgian families.
Long story short – eggplant rolls with walnut filling is a delicious way to start exploring Georgian cuisine, so don’t hesitate to try them!;)
This recipe makes 9-10 Eggplant rolls with walnut filling. If you have a big group to feed I recommend doubling or even tripling the recipe;)
Ingredients for eggplant rolls with walnut filling:
- 2 large eggplants, cut into 3 mm slices
- 1 cup (90 grams) walnuts
- 30 grams cilantro, leaves, and stems
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves (or more, if you like more garlicky flavor)
- 1 tsp khmeli-suneli spice (store-bought or make your own)
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tbsp thick Greek yogurt or soft goat cheese (optional)
- freshly ground peppercorns to taste
- pomegranate seeds for garnishing
Method:
1. To make eggplant rolls with walnut filling start by generously salting eggplant slices and leave in a colander set over a bowl or a sink for 20 minutes. This helps to get rid of eggplant’s natural bitterness and excess moisture.
2. Soak walnuts in hot water for 10 minutes. Drain and place in a blender or kitchen processor along with cilantro, EVOO, garlic, spices, salt, and yogurt/cheese (if using). Blend until smooth. Depending on your blender you might need to add 2-4 tbsp of water. We are looking for a thick consistency that will hold its shape inside the rolled eggplants (artichoke dip-like). Give it a taste and add more spices/garlic if needed. Reserve in the fridge until ready to use.
3. Preheat the oven to 400F. Dry eggplant slices with paper towels. Spread slices on 2 parchment-lined sheets making sure they don’t overlap. Brush with EVOO on both sides and roast for ~10 minutes. Flip and roast for another 10 minutes. No need to salt as they will be salty enough;) Roast until golden and remove from the oven.
4. Let the eggplants cool to room temperature. Place 1 heaped teaspoon of the filling on the short edge of the eggplant slice and roll it up. You can watch this video of mine for more guidance! Repeat with all of the slices and serve with a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds. Rolls will keep well in the fridge for up to 4 days and will develop more flavor with time. Enjoy!
More vegetarian appetizers:
Knowing that you use my recipes makes me so happy! If you make these Eggplant rolls with walnut filling please leave me a starred review here or tag me on Instagram @olesia.guts so I can see your creations!
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants, cut into 3 mm slices
- 1 cup (90 grams) walnuts
- 30 grams cilantro, leaves, and stems
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves (or more, if you like really garlicky flavor
- 1 tsp khmeli-suneli spice (store-bought or make your own)
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tbsp thick Greek yogurt or soft goat cheese (optional)
- freshly ground peppercorns to taste
- pomegranate seeds for garnishing
Instructions
1. Generously salt eggplant slices and leave in a colander set over a bowl or a sink for 20 minutes. This helps to get rid of eggplant’s natural bitterness and excess moisture.
2. Soak walnuts in hot water for 10 minutes. Drain and place in a blender or kitchen processor along with cilantro, EVOO, garlic, spices, salt, and yogurt/cheese (if using). Blend until smooth. Depending on your blender you might need to add 2-4 tbsp of water. We are looking for thick consistency that will hold its shape inside the rolled eggplants (artichoke dip-like).* Give it a taste and add more spices/garlic if needed. Reserve in the fridge until ready to use.
3. Preheat the oven to 400F. Dry eggplant slices with paper towels. Spread slices on 2 parchment-lined sheets making sure they don’t overlap. Brush with EVOO on both sides and roast for ~10 minutes. Flip and roast for another 10 minutes. No need to salt as they will be salty enough;) Roast until golden and remove from the oven.
4. Let the eggplants cool to room temperature. Place 1 heaped teaspoon of the filling on the short edge of the eggplant slice and roll it up. You can watch this video of mine for more guidance! Repeat with all of the slices and serve with a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds. Rolls will keep well in the fridge for up to 4 days and will develop more flavor with time. Enjoy!
Notes
You want filling to hold its shape inside the eggplant rolls while not being too dense.
4 comments
Really delicious, and the sauce is really versatile. I made a couple adjustments that worked for me. I doubled the cilantro, added the juice of half lemon and increased the olive oil to 4 tbs so it would blend smoother. Will definitely make again!
Thank you so much for sharing! I usually double the cilantro as well as I’m crazy about it;)
So glad you liked it!
I’ve looked at several recipes for eggplant rolls and yours looks the best. One thing I’m not sure about is the amount of walnuts. Most recipes that call for one cup of walnuts state that the weight should be 150 grams, but your recipe states one cup at 90 grams. Is this correct? I realize that a lot depends on whether the nuts are whole or in pieces when measuring by a cup.
Hi Erin, thank you so much for your comment! You are completely right, it will all depend on whether the nuts are whole or in small pieces. I used whole nuts, so one cup should yield between 90 and 100 g. I hope this helps!