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Mangal Salatı (Azerbaijani Grilled Vegetable Salad)
Eggplants, tomatoes and peppers charred over the grill until soft, peeled, chopped small and drained, then tossed with raw onion, garlic, fresh herbs, oil and a splash of vinegar to eat beside kebab.
Azerbaijani · easy · serves 4
prep 20 min · cook 30 min · plus 30 min hands-off time
~143 cal · 3g protein · 19g carbs · 7g fat · 7g fiber · 10g sugars · 1g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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AI-generated illustration
Mangal salatı takes its name from the mangal, the open charcoal grill of the Caucasus, and in Azerbaijan it is the salad that comes to the table with kebab. Order kebab in a Baku restaurant and a bowl of it will be set down alongside.
It is made from whatever goes on the grill with the meat: eggplants, tomatoes, sweet peppers and a hot pepper, turned over the coals until the skins blacken and the flesh collapses. Once cool they are peeled, chopped small and drained of their juice, then mixed with raw onion, garlic and plenty of herbs, coriander, basil and parsley, and dressed with oil and a little vinegar.
The smoke from the mangal is what makes it; at home a hot oven, a gas flame or a griddle pan does a respectable job. Leftovers are good the next day, spooned onto toasted bread or baked with eggs.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian, vegan and gluten-, dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
- 2 medium (or 4 small) eggplants
- 4 medium ripe tomatoes
- 2 red bell peppers
- 1/2 to 1 hot green chili
- 1/2 red onion, very finely chopped
- 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
- 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 2 tbsp sunflower or olive oil
- 1 tbsp wine vinegar or apple vinegar
- to taste salt and black pepper
Instructions
- 1Prick the eggplants and peppers a few times with a knife. Grill the eggplants, peppers, chili and tomatoes over hot coals, or under a very hot grill, for about 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes, until the skins are blackened and the flesh is completely soft. The tomatoes and chili are ready first; take them off as they collapse.✎ Chef’s noteNo grill? Roast them in a 220 C oven for 40 to 60 minutes, adding the tomatoes for the last 20 minutes. You lose some smokiness.
- 2Let the vegetables cool until you can handle them, then peel off the skins and pull out the pepper seeds and stems. Scoop the eggplant flesh away from its skin with a spoon.
- 3Chop all the grilled vegetables small and put them in a sieve for 10 to 20 minutes so the excess juice drains away.
- 4Tip the drained vegetables into a bowl and add the onion, garlic, finely chopped chili and herbs. Dress with the oil and vinegar, season with salt and pepper and mix well.
- 5Chill for 30 minutes to let the flavours settle, then serve beside kebab or any grilled meat, with lavash or bread.
Azerbaijani grill tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Baku. Sourness comes from fruit rather than vinegar. Pomegranate turns up as seeds, as juice and as narsharab, a thick syrup poured over grilled fish, while quince and dried alycha plums go into lamb stews such as parcha bozbash. Dushbara are pinched small enough that four or five sit in a single spoon.
🗺️
Azerbaijan. Azerbaijani cuisine sits on the old Silk Road, famous for saffron plov, herb-stuffed kutab, and an abundance of fresh herbs eaten by the handful. Pomegranate, quince, and tea served in pear-shaped glasses define the table.
🌍
Asia. A grain line runs across the continent. Rice dominates the wet south and east, wheat the drier north and west, and the tools follow it: the wok and the steamer where rice is milled, the tandoor and the griddle where wheat is ground. Tea travels the other way, drunk green, black, salted, buttered or with milk depending how far it got from China.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Azerbaijan
PitiA slow-baked crock stew of lamb, chickpeas, and chestnuts scented with saffron and dried plum.
QutabThin, half-moon griddle breads stuffed with greens and herbs, folded and cooked until charred.
LavangiChicken stuffed with a tangy walnut, onion, and sour-plum paste and roasted, a specialty of Azerbaijan's Caspian south.
Browse all Azerbaijan recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Grill or barbecue.
Storing it: Best assembled just before serving. Prep the components ahead and dress at the last moment so it stays crisp.
Make it an Azerbaijan meal
Azerbaijani ChayDrink
ŞəkərburaDessert
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Cuisine
Diet
Frequently asked questions
What is Mangal Salatı (Azerbaijani Grilled Vegetable Salad)?
Eggplants, tomatoes and peppers charred over the grill until soft, peeled, chopped small and drained, then tossed with raw onion, garlic, fresh herbs, oil and a splash of vinegar to eat beside kebab.
Where does Mangal Salatı (Azerbaijani Grilled Vegetable Salad) come from?
Mangal Salatı (Azerbaijani Grilled Vegetable Salad) is an Azerbaijani dish from Baku, Azerbaijan.
Can Mangal Salatı (Azerbaijani Grilled Vegetable Salad) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Mangal Salatı (Azerbaijani Grilled Vegetable Salad) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Mangal Salatı (Azerbaijani Grilled Vegetable Salad) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Mangal Salatı (Azerbaijani Grilled Vegetable Salad) take to make?
About 1 h 20 min in all: 20 minutes prep and 30 minutes cooking, plus 30 min of hands-off waiting the method needs, serving 4.
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