Baba ganoush or baba ghanoush, is one of my favorite dips. Made from roasted and smoky eggplants with tahini, garlic, lemon juice and salt, it is so simple to make yet so delicious! If you don’t feel like eating heavy and want to stick to mezze / appetizers, add a plate of hummus, vegetables and pita bread and dig in for a nice and heathy treat!
The key to a delicious baba ghanoush is how you cook your eggplant.
There are a couple of ways to go about it:
Barbeque
For folks that have nice weather year long, this is a no brainer. You get to cook your eggplant over the flame, get the smoky taste that is coveted for in baba ganoush and it doesn’t require additional dishes to wash! Perfect!
Gas stove
If you don’t have access to a barbeque or its just too cold outside, a gas stove to get your eggplant charred directly on the flame before roasting in the oven is an alternative way to get that smoky taste.
Oven Broiler
Getting your eggplants under the oven broiler to char them before roasting them in the oven is another way to go.
Simple oven roast
If none of those methods work out for your and all you want is baba ganoush dip without a smoky taste, you can just put your eggplant on a baking sheet and put it in the oven.
Once you have your eggplant roasted, you will have a cooked and very soft texture.
You just need to let it cool down a bit and peel it or scrape the meat off the skin with a fork.
Your next step is really to take your chopped garlic, lemon juice, tahini and eggplant and put it in the mixer. You’ll have to pulse it until you get a creamy texture. If you feel its a bit too compact, add a bit of icy cold water until you get the right consistency of a dip.
Ingredients
- 2 medium sized eggplant
- 2 cloves of garlic, pressed
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- Olive oil to garnish
- Spices for garnish options (smoked paprika, ground thyme, ground cumin)
- Garnish options (Parsley, pomegranate seeds, diced red bell peppers, radishes)
- Serve with pita bread, vegetables or as a condiment for grilled meats.
Instructions
- Cook your eggplant in one of the following methods mentioned in the post. For the purpose of this recipe, the simplest method is to roast in the oven. If you can char it on the gas stove, on the barbeque or on the broiler, do so before roasting the eggplant.
- Make some small punctures with a knife around the eggplant. This will relieve the pressure when it cooks and avoid it blowing up in the oven (been there...)!
- Cook at 450F for around 45 minutes. The eggplant will be quite soft and have a rippled skin when its ready.
- While it cooks, combine your lemon juice and your pressed garlic in a small bowl and let it infuse while the eggplant cooks.
- Take it out of the oven and let it rest until it cool down.Â
- Cut it in half and scrape the meat out with a spoon
- If you have left over moisture and liquid at the bottom of your bowl, discard it before using the meat.
- Add to the mixer your tahini, garlic and lemon juice. Pulse until combined
- Add your eggplant and salt and pulse until you get a creamy and unctuous texture. If it feels too tight, add a bit of icy cold water which will smoothen the texture.
- (Optional) adding olive oil at this stage. I rather control the olive oil when serving the dish which is a healthier option!
- To serve, you can add different ground spices such as cumin (my favourite), smoked paprika or ground thyme to add additional flavor to the eggplant.
- Furthermore, add chopped parley to your presentation bowl or plate. If you have the time, you can make all sorts of neat presentations with radishes, red bell peppers or pomegranate seeds which add a nice crunch to your bites!
- Eat with raw vegetables, pita bread or as a condiment to go with grilled meats.
Notes
Although Italian eggplants are the classic choice, I have had great success with Japanese or white eggplants.
Nutrition Information
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
