Date Published: Sept 27th, 2021 | Last Updated: Sept 27th, 2021
Author: Abby |Category: dips, appetizer, easy, healthy, snacks, vegetarian
Serves: 4-6 (1 medium sized bowl) | Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 45 mins

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Baba ghanoush is a Lebanese dish that is typically served as a starter or a side to a meat dish. It’s made with charred eggplants, tahini, garlic and lemon. It tastes similar to a hummus but with an extra smoky flavour from the grilling of the eggplants. The ingredients to a baba ghanoush and hummus are nearly identical but instead substitute the chick peas with eggplants. Comparatively, hummus is much easier to make because you skip the step of grilling eggplants, but flavour-wise I prefer baba ghanoush for the smokiness. If I’m feeling lazy and wanting a whip up something quick for a party or a side, I’ll go for the hummus (you can check out my hummus recipe here).

There are many ways to char an eggplant. Traditionally the eggplant is placed over an open flame until the skin wrinkles and the flesh softens, but I find this method more time-consuming to constantly watch the eggplant and I also find it harder and messier to peel. My preferred method is to slice them in half and char them in the oven on high heat. You can then simply scoop out the eggplant flesh instead of having to peel it.

You can simply serve it with some sliced veg and pita chips, or slathered in a wrap with a chicken shawarma.

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the recipe! If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

2 medium sized eggplants
2 Tbsps olive oil for brushing
1/4 cup tahini
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
2 Tbsps lemon juice (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste)

Directions:

Roast the eggplants: Preheat oven to 220˚C (430˚F). Cut the tops off of each eggplant and then cut them in half. Arrange the eggplants skin side up on a baking sheet and brush each one with olive oil. Roast in the preheated oven until the skin wrinkles and the flesh is very soft.

I was making enough for a party. There’s about 6 eggplants in this photo.

Prepare the eggplants: Once the eggplants are done, set them aside to cool. Once it is cool enough to hand, use a spoon and scoop out all of the flesh. Discard the eggplant skin. Place the eggplant flesh in a strainer and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. You can let it rest for another 30 mins to let more juices drip out.

Blend it all together: Add the eggplant flesh and the rest of the ingredients (tahini, garlic, cumin, paprika, lemon juice, salt) in a blender or food processor and blend until you get a smooth texture. Taste and adjust salt and lemon to your preference. Done!

Summarized Recipe:

Baba Ghanoush

Ingredients:

2 medium sized eggplants
2 Tbsps olive oil for brushing
1/4 cup tahini
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
2 Tbsps lemon juice (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste)

Directions:

Roast the eggplants: Preheat oven to 220˚C (430˚F). Cut the tops off of each eggplant and then cut them in half. Arrange the eggplants skin side up on a baking sheet and brush each one with olive oil. Roast in the preheated oven until the skin wrinkles and the flesh is very soft (~30-45 mins).
Prepare the eggplants: Once the eggplants are done, set them aside to cool. Once it is cool enough to hand, use a spoon and scoop out all of the flesh. Discard the eggplant skin. Place the eggplant flesh in a strainer and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. You can let it rest for another 30 mins to let more juices drip out.
Blend it all together: Add the eggplant flesh and the rest of the ingredients (tahini, garlic, cumin, paprika, lemon juice, salt) in a blender or food processor and blend until you get a smooth texture. Taste and adjust salt and lemon to your preference. Done!