Herb and Charred Eggplant Soup

Still exploring Flavor. This eggplant soup is fantastic — smoky, herby, and comforting. The chile oil adds a nice kick.

Ingredients

• 3 medium eggplants, pierced 7 or 8 times all over (1 lb 10 oz/750g)
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• table salt and black pepper
• 7 tbsp/105ml olive oil
• 2 yellow onions, finely chopped (2 cups/300g)
• 6 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 cups/60g cilantro, roughly chopped, plus 2 tbsp whole leaves
• 3 cups/60g parsley, roughly chopped, plus 2 tbsp whole leaves
• 2 cups/40g dill, roughly chopped, plus 2 tbsp whole leaves
• 7 green onions, finely sliced (scant 1 cup/70g)
• 3 tbsp water, plus 1 2/3 cups/400ml
• 2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/8 tsp ground turmeric
• 9½ cups/400g baby spinach, finely shredded
• 2 cups/480ml vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 red chile, thinly sliced into rounds (¼ cup/20g)
• 2 tsp black mustard seeds

Instructions

1. Place a well-greased grill pan on high heat and ventilate your kitchen. Once the pan is smoking, grill the eggplants, turning two or three times, until the outsides have completely charred and the insides have softened, 45-50 minutes. (Don’t worry about over-charring the eggplants: the longer they cook, the better.) Transfer to a colander set over a bowl and allow to drain for about 30 minutes. Peel and discard the stems and skins. Pull the flesh into long ribbons and add to a medium bowl with 1 tbsp of the lemon juice, ¼ tsp salt, and a good grind of pepper. Mix, then set aside until needed.
2. While the eggplants are grilling, put ¼ cup/60ml of the olive oil into a large saucepan on medium-high heat. Add the yellow onions and cook, stirring often, until softened and deeply browned, about 12 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more, until fragrant, then turn the heat to medium-low and add all the chopped herbs, green onions, and 3 tbsp water. Cook until deeply green and fragrant, about 15 minutes, stirring often so the herbs don’t catch and burn. Increase the heat to medium-high; add the cinnamon, cumin, and 1 tsp of the turmeric; and cook for 30 seconds, then stir in the spinach, stock, 1¾ cups/400ml water, 1¾ tsp salt, and a generous grind of pepper. Bring to a boil, then decrease the heat to medium and let simmer for about 20 minutes.
3. Remove the pan from the heat, add the remaining 2 tbsp lemon juice, and use an immersion blender to roughly blitz the soup (you don’t want it to be completely smooth). Alternatively, blitz half the soup in a counter-top blender and return to the pan. Keep warm until ready to serve.
4. Put the chile and remaining 3 tbsp olive oil into a small frying pan on medium heat. Let cook, stirring occasionally, until the chile becomes translucent and glossy, 10-12 minutes. Add the mustard seeds and cook for 1 minute more. Stir in the remaining ⅛ tsp turmeric and immediately pour the mixture into a bowl to stop it from cooking further. Set aside.
5. Divide the soup among four bowls. Stir the herb leaves into the eggplant and add to the soup, finishing with a drizzle of the chile oil before serving.