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BABA
GANOUSH
I’d like to introduce you to a recent love of mine. With tens of different names and as many variations, Baba Ganoush is a mezze classic.
“Baba ganoush (Arabic: بابا غنوج bābā ghannūj) is a Levantine dish of cooked eggplant mixed with tahina, olive oil and various seasonings. The Arabic term means “pampered papa” or “coy daddy”, perhaps with reference to a member of a royal harem.” (Wikipedia)
Having spent my childhood summers in the Middle East, I was not a big fan of this dish. However, it all changed when my brother cooked this up last year and I decided to give it another go. Boy, was it an epiphany of flavours! Since then I pestered him to make it a few more times and finally gave it my own try. Now, there isn’t a month that goes by without me making baba ganoush at least once.
After many rounds of “Not smoky enough”, “not tangy enough”, “more tahina?”, “ugh, too much garlic”, “where’s the garlic?”, I think I finally have a winning recipe on hand! This creamy, slightly tangy dip with a little spice kick, will be your new favourite. And to think it’s mostly made from eggplants, what?!
You will need:
2 eggplants, medium sized
1 small bulb of garlic/5-6 large cloves
1 onion, medium sized
2 tsp vegetable oil
4 tbsp tahina paste
4 tbsp yogurt
3 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
½ tsp chilli flakes or paprika
3 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
4 tbsp olive oil + extra for serving
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30 mins. Makes 2 cups
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Roast whole eggplants over the stove using a wire rack on a medium low flame for 30-40 minutes. The skin should be completely charred and crispy to touch when done. Another indication is when the skin breaks and the eggplants start to secrete its juices.
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Once the eggplants are done roasting, wrap them up in aluminium foil or transfer into a bowl immediately and seal. This helps to intensify the smoky flavour and cool down the eggplants slowly to make peeling off the skin easier.
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Next, roast whole garlic over direct flame until the skin has charred completely. Put in with the eggplants and allow to cool for 30 minutes to an hour.
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Finely chop up onion and sauté in vegetable oil for 10 minutes over low heat. The onions should be slightly caramelised and soft brown in colour.
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Meanwhile, peel the garlic and chop it up finely and add it to the sautéed onions, cook for a minute, then remove off the heat.
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Peel the eggplants and discard off the tops. Transfer eggplant flesh to a food processor along with all of its juices collected in the foil/bowl.
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Add tahini, yogurt, olive oil and cooked onion and garlic to the eggplant and process to a fine paste.
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Add in lemon juice, chopped parsley, chilli flakes/paprika, salt and black pepper to the eggplant mixture. Mix well and it’s ready!
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Transfer baba ganoush to your serving dish, or an air tight container if you wish to store it. Top with a generous drizzle of olive oil before serving. Enjoy!
Notes:
You could also roast the eggplants in an oven at the highest temperature, but I find that roasting over direct flame gives more smokiness to the baba ganoush.
Pita bread, falafel, lavash, fresh veggies like cucumber, carrots, etc. make a nice accompaniment for this dip.
Some pictures from the process:
(L-R: Grilling eggplants & garlic; grilled eggplant; sautéed onions and garlic)
