BABA GHANOUJ "Dipped Eggplant"

Baba ghanouj is a dish of mashed grilled eggplant with crushed garlic, lemon juice and sesame seed paste. In Lebanon the name of this recipe means spoiled dad and this delicious creamy mixture is the partner to hummus in the Lebanese cuisine. In Western countries It has been listed in restaurants as ‘eggplant caviar’ and sometimes a thick dip which is made with pureed, roasted eggplant, olive oil and seasoning.

When my kids were young they used to tends to hummus more than baba ghanouj but now they enjoy both especially with this delicious and easy blend in my recipe.

Prep. time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 45 mins

Serves: 4 to 5

INGREDIENTS:

2 medium eggplants

1/2 tsp salt

1 clove garlic crushed

1/4 cup lemon

1/3 cup tahini.

Preparation: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash the eggplants, prick them few times with a fork and roast them first using the bottom rack for about 45 mins. or until the eggplants are soft. Now grill them using the highest rack in the oven for few mins. or until Partly burned, this method will give it the wonderful smoky taste. There are many ways to roast the eggplants either on the stove in a pan or on a barbecue grill for about 35 mins. and it works perfectly fine too. Set aside in a strainer to cool down enough to hold and to strain all the water that comes out of the eggplants after roasting.

Now peel the eggplants and discard skin. There is another method to separate the skin from the inner part, cut the eggplant lengthwise to open and scrape the inner part out, if there are dark seeds try to take them out too because sometimes they give the baba ghanouj mixture an intense taste. Put the eggplant in a bowl and smash with a fork or electric hand processor for 2 strokes only, to maintain the good taste of the smoked flavor of the eggplant then add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Garnish with pomegranate or fresh green mint and drizzle olive oil on top.

Baba ghanouj is a healthy vegetarian and an amazing appetizer that everyone in your family will love to have it as mezza or dip or even a sandwich in pita bread. I have been preparing this easy and simple recipe over the years and now I am presenting it on my blog, hoping you give it a try and also enjoy its amazing taste.

It is even good with pita bread aside, I enjoy it myself with cucumber and alf sahtein in the Lebanese way!!!