These Savory Walnut Stuffed Eggplant Rolls are a Georgian specialty that once you try, you will want to make for every gathering. In Georgia (the country- not the state of USA!) these are called nigvziani badrijani. Toasted walnuts are blended with a special blend of spices, then rolled into baked or fried slices of eggplant for a rich and addictive appetizer or snack.
Georgian food has been influenced over the centuries by it's unique geography. Once part of the famous Silk Route, spices, recipes and ideas flowed up through the Middle East, down through Eastern Europe and from it's Caucasus neighbors. Georgia is also believed to be the birthplace of wine (side note- Georgian orange wine is AMAZING) , so eating and drinking are very important culturally. One day I'd love to visit the country of Georgia and try all kinds of Georgian cuisine and their many vegan delicacies, but in the meantime, I'll have to be content making this and imagining eating a Georgian feast at home.
If, like me, you love cooking with eggplant and like Middle Eastern and Mediterranean style food, you definitely need to try this Air Fryer Babaganoush: Smoky Aubergine Dip or this tangy and rich Easy Eggplant and Olive Tapenade (Roasted Aubergine Dip). Maybe with a glass of wine and some good friends to share with.
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🍆Ingredients
This recipe is simple, but does require good ingredients and a special blend of spices.
- Eggplant (aka Aubergine): Choose lovely fresh bouncy eggplants. If you can, choose eggplants that are not to chunky as this means you end up with quite large rolls which while delicious, are not a single mouthful which can be tricky to manage if you're wanting to serve these up as appetizers or canapes.
- Walnuts. Make sure the walnuts are fresh and not rancid. I always taste test one before using. You don't want to ruin your whole batch of roll ups with some off tasting nuts!.
- Khmeli Suneli- this is a Georgian spice blend that is traditionally used in this recipe as well as to season stews and sauces. It contains blue fenugreek, summer savory, ground coriander seed, celery seed, dill, bay leaf, mint, basil and marigold petals (which give it a lovely yellow colour). Like most spice mixes there isn't a fixed recipe. I get mine from Spice Mountain, however you can also search out blends on Amazon. (see substitutions and variations section for how to substitute it)
- Good Extra Virgin Olive Oil- to brush the eggplant before roasting or baking.
- Red Wine Vinegar (or white wine vinegar). This balances the rich walnut and eggplant flavor and I think makes this dish extra delicious.
- Garlic Cloves- fresh garlic cloves add their addictive flavor to the walnut paste.
- Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste.
- To serve: Pomegranate seeds or chopped red onion and fresh herbs such as mint to garnish.
See recipe card for quantities.
👩🍳Instructions
This recipe for Georgian eggplant rolls is simple, but follow along to make the most of the flavors and presentation.
- Slice the eggplant into 5-8mm long slices, brush with olive oil and bake until golden brown. You can also pan fry the eggplant or BBQ it.
2. In a dry frying pan, toast the walnuts until golden and fragrant.
3. Once the walnuts have cooled, whizz them up in a blender or the bowl of a food processor with the garlic , spices and vinegar. Add a tablespoon of warm water and blend until you get a thick but creamy paste. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your taste.
4. Blot the eggplant slices with paper towels, then use a teaspoon of the walnut spread on the short side of the eggplant slice. Roll the slice of eggplant up and place it face down on a platter.
Repeat with the remaining slices of eggplant and the walnut paste. Serve with pomegranate seeds and fresh herbs. If you wish you can drizzle over a little pomegranate molasses.
Hint: Most modern eggplant don't need to be salted first to remove bitter juices, however if you wish you can pre-salt the eggplants first, rinsing the salt off and patting dry before using.
🌶️Substitutions & Variations
Here are some easy ways to substitute or add different ingredients, which you might need to do according to what is available to you where you are in the world.
- Make your own spice mix - if you can't find the spice blend called Khmeli Suneli (also known as Hmeli suneli or Chmeli Suneli) - you will need the following spices 1 teaspoon each fenugreek, coriander seed, dried parsley, dried dill and dried mint and 4 bay leaves plus ½ teaspoon paprika. Blend these up in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle and put into a little jar to use in this recipe and others.
- Pomegranate Molasses -Add 1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses to the walnut mix. Pomegranate molasses is sweet and tangy, so be sure to taste test before adding more vinegar
- Lemon Juice -swap the red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar for lemon juice.
🔪Equipment
You'll need a food processor or blender to blend the walnut paste. You will also need a baking sheet with parchment paper to bake the aubergine slices (or a BBQ grill)
🫙Storage
Keep any leftover Georgian Eggplant Walnut Rolls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. . They're lovely as a little snack for lunch boxes or picnics.
You can make this recipe ahead of time by preparing the grilled eggplant and the spiced walnut past up to 2 days before you want to serve. Roll and sprinkle with pomegrante seeds and fresh herbs an hour or so before serving.
❓FAQ
Older varieties of eggplant could sometimes have bitter juices which salting them, then rinsing and patting dry would remove. More modern varieties of eggplant have had the bitterness bred out of them so it's no longer necessary to salt prior to cooking.
The key to delicious eggplant is making sure it is properly cooked. Undercooked eggplant is bouncy and not very pleasant to eat. Cook until the eggplant is super tender and nearly starts to fall apart.
More Eggplant Recipes
Love aubergines? Try these recipes too:
Vegan Appetizers
Here are some other delicious canapes and apps to serve with this recipe!
📖 Recipe
Georgian Eggplant Walnut Rolls (nigvziani badrijani)
Equipment
Ingredients Note:
For accuracy, I measure all ingredients in metric as standard, then convert and test the recipe for American cup measurements etc.
(Heads up Aussie and UK readers- your measurements in cups are sometimes different, so please use metric or check you have the correct cup and spoon type!!)
Ingredients
- 2 kg (4 lb) eggplant (or about 4 medium eggplants. (don't worry too much if these are over or under weight))
- 250 g walnuts
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon Khmeli Suneli
- 1 tablespoon white or red wine vinegar
- 50 ml olive oil (for brushing on the eggplant for baking or grilling)
- 100 g pomegranate seeds (optional)
- 2 tablespoon warm water
- 1 teaspoon salt *or to taste
Instructions
- Slice the eggplant lengthways in just under 1cm slices.2 kg eggplant
- Brush the eggplant with olive oil and bake on a parchment lined baking sheet at 180C for 25 minutes flipping OR grill or bbq until tender (you can also pan fry- but I find that messy). You will need to do this in batches.50 ml olive oil
- In dry frying pan, toast the walnuts until they smell fragrant and toasty. Be careful not to burn them.250 g walnuts
- Once the walnuts have cooled, add the garlic, khmeli suneli, vinegar, salt to taste and blitz in a food processor (or pound in a mortar and pestle)2 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon Khmeli Suneli, 1 tablespoon white or red wine vinegar
- Add a little water and blitz again until you have a smooth creamy paste.2 tablespoon warm water, 1 teaspoon salt *or to taste
- Taste the walnut paste and add salt, a little more vinegar or more spice mixture according to your tastes.
- Once the eggplant slices are cooled, spread a tablespoon or so (depending on the size of the eggplant slice) of the walnut paste on the short rounded edge of the eggplant and roll it up. Put the rolls seam side down and continue rolling until all the eggplant is used up.
- Serve the eggplant rolls at room temperature with pomegranate seeds sprinkled over.100 g pomegranate seeds
Video
Notes
- 1 teaspoon each
- fenugreek,
- coriander seed,
- dried parsley,
- dried dill
- dried mint
- 4 bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon paprika.
- Blend these up in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle and put into a little jar to use in this recipe and others.
- Pomegranate Molasses -Add 1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses to the walnut mix. Pomegranate molasses is sweet and tangy, so be sure to taste test before adding more vinegar
- Lemon Juice -swap the red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar for lemon juice.
Tiffany Snow says
You only use one teaspoon of filling per length of egg roll?? That doesn’t seem right or look like your picture, which looks more akin to 2-3 tablespoons. I plan on making this recipe for Christmas. Thank you.
Louise-Claire Cayzer says
Thanks for pointing that out. It should say a tablespoon or two, I'll update it. It does depend on the size of your eggplant however, so do what looks right per roll.
Gus says
Love how delicious the walnut paste turned. I usually make eggplant rolls, so I am always looking into different fillings, and this one hit the spot! Thank you!
Louise-Claire Cayzer says
I'm so happy you like the recipe! I agree, that walnut filling is addictive.