Baba Ghanoush (Roasted Eggplant Dip)
Right up there with Hummus, this eggplant dip is made with Tahini, garlic, lemon juice, parsley, and olive oil, and seasoned with cumin and smoked paprika. Eggplant contributes a lightness and creaminess different than chickpeas. The smoked paprika and cumin add another level of smokiness, so delicious. I adapted the recipe from Cookie + Kate, a wonderful blog filled with tips and great user-friendly veggie recipes. This is definitely one of them.
Start with 2 medium globe eggplants and roast them, halved on a sheet pan until soft and charred. The char gives the dip that nice smokey flavor. This is by far the most timing consuming part of the recipe. Luckily, there’s a hack for this below🧑🏻🍳. Finishing the Baba Ghanoush is just a matter of stirring Tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, and seasonings into the eggplant-easy peasy. Tahini, a sesame seed paste, is a mainstay in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Cuisine. You can find Tahini in most supermarkets, TJ’s, or online. Add a touch of cumin for earthiness and sprinkle it with either smoked paprika or sumac before serving.
Cheaters Sometimes Win
I have a confession, I don’t always have time to roast eggplants to make Baba Ghanoush. Nope, sometimes I skip this and reach for the jar of grilled eggplant by Sadaf or Sera that I always keep on hand. If you are in the South Bay (San Jose-Campbell area) a great store for Middle Eastern groceries is International Food Bazaar on Union. It’s just grilled eggplant so it has the smokiness from the char and some citric acid for preserving. Use approximately 1-1/2 cups, which is roughly equivalent to the roasted fresh eggplant. Place the eggplant in a strainer for 15-30 minutes to drain the excess liquid. It’s convenient and pretty darn yummy. The jarred eggplant is pretty chunky so I use a food processor to make it. Pulse ingredients, you don’t want to end up with a puree, pulsing allows for textural contrast. Additionally, the dip can be made by hand, use a whisk or a fork to whip the ingredients to break up the larger pieces of eggplant.
Baba Ganoush
Ingredients
Use either fresh eggplant OR jarred eggplant (quick and easy)
- 2 pounds Italian eggplants* about 2 small-to-medium eggplants*
- 1-1/2 cups Jarred Grilled Eggplant I have used the brand Sadaf, available and most Middle Eastern stores.
Seasoning
- 2 medium cloves of garlic pressed or minced
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice more if necessary
- ¼ cup tahini
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil plus more for brushing the eggplant and garnish
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley plus extra for garnish
- ¾ teaspoon salt to taste
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground cumin I LOVE Cumin, use to taste
- Pinch of smoked paprika for garnish, or Sumac which will give it a touch of tartness
Instructions
Raw Eggplant Recipe
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit with a rack in the upper third of the oven. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent the eggplant from sticking to the pan. Halve the eggplants lengthwise and brush the cut sides lightly with olive oil. Place them in the prepared pan with the halved sides down.
- Roast the eggplant until the interior is very tender throughout and the skin is collapsing, about 35 to 40 minutes (this might take longer if you are using 1 large eggplant). Set the eggplant aside to cool for a few minutes. Flip the eggplants over and scoop out the flesh with a large spoon, leaving the skin behind.
- Place a mesh strainer over a mixing bowl, then transfer the flesh to the strainer and discard the skins. Pick out any stray bits of eggplant skin and discard. You want to remove as much moisture from the eggplant here as possible, so let the eggplant rest for a 15-30 minutes and shake/stir the eggplant to release some more moisture.
- Discard all of the eggplant drippings, drain and wipe out the bowl, and dump the eggplant into the bowl.
Jarred Eggplant
- I cannot tell a lie, I will use jarred grilled eggplant in a pinch (or not) available in Middle Eastern stores. (In San Jose-International Bazaar) Use approximately 1-1/2 cups of the jarred eggplant. Drain eggplant just like the roasted eggplant and proceed.
Directions for both roasted eggplant or jarred
- Add the garlic and lemon juice to the eggplant and stir vigorously with a fork until the eggplant breaks down. Add the tahini to the bowl and stir until it’s incorporated. While stirring, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Continue stirring until the mixture is pale and creamy, and use your fork to break up any particularly long strings of eggplant. Once again, I take the path of least resistance and add ingredients to a food processor and PULSE to blend. You don't want to puree but leave a bit of chunkiness.
- Stir in the parsley, salt and cumin. Season to taste with more salt (I usually add another ¼ teaspoon) and more lemon juice, if you’d like a more tart flavor.
- Transfer the baba ganoush to a serving bowl and lightly drizzle olive oil on top. Lastly, sprinkle parsley and smoked paprika on top. Serve with accompaniments of your choice such as pita bread, carrots and cucumbers. It’s also great on sandwiches!
Notes
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