Homemade Authentic Baba Ganoush

Anastasia

4 years ago

Baba ganoush is a popular Middle Eastern and Mediterranean eggplant dip with distinctive smoky flavor. There is no exact recipe for this dish, so I’m just gonna share with you some tips and tricks.

Even though the eggplant is out of season now, I had it already roasted and peeled in my freezer. I was pleasantly surprised that after a while, it still has amazing smoky flavor and tastes just as good as fresh.

The thing is that the eggplant that is sold out of season can have a bitter taste. So you have to season it with salt prior to cooking. Freeze your roasted and peeled eggplant and you’ll have the most flavorful baba ganoush any time of the year!

The amount of other ingredients depends only on your personal taste. For garlic my rule is one clove per eggplant, but if you don’t like its strong flavor, use less. Same with lemon juice. If you like all things sour, go for half of a lemon per eggplant.

Use more tahini, if you want the consistency to be more similar to hummus. For me 2 tablespoons is just about right. This way baba ganoush is incredibly smoky and pungent. But on the other hand, there’s no such thing as too much tahini, right?

I use the same “roasting” technique here as in other eggplant dip – Indian Baingan Bharta. But if you’re lucky to have a grill, go ahead and use it. You’ll probably need to cook eggplant for a longer time though.

Wrap each eggplant with foil and place directly on a gas stove over medium heat. Rotate it frequently using tongs and roast for 15-20 minutes. Check with a knife for doneness. It should be soft all the way through.

Let eggplants cool before unwrapping. Then peel and remove the seeds if they are hard. Place the eggplant into a mesh strainer to get rid of excess liquid. Press if with a spoon to speed up the process.

Now transfer the eggplant into a mixing bowl and mash it well with a fork. Add pressed garlic, lemon juice, tahini, cumin and salt. Mix well to incorporate. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed.

Serve baba ganoush with generous swirl of extra virgin olive oil, fresh parsley, homemade pita bread and veggies of your choice.

Note: if your baba ganoush came out too sharp for your taste, add few tablespoons of vegan Greek-style or coconut yogurt.

Homemade Authentic Baba Ganoush

Homemade baba ganoush – Lebanese smoky eggplant dip.

Author: Anastasia
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 20 min
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 6
Category: Appetizer
Cuisine: Lebanese, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean

Ingredients

2 eggplants (about 350g each)
2 garlic cloves, pressed
juice of 1/2-1 lemon
2 tbsp tahini
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt or to taste

For serving:

pita bread
extra virgin olive oil
chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

Wrap each eggplant with foil and place directly on a gas stove over medium heat. Rotate it frequently using tongs and roast for 15-20 minutes. Check with a knife for doneness. It should be soft all the way through.
Let eggplants cool before unwrapping. Then peel and remove the seeds if they are hard. Place the eggplant into a mesh strainer to get rid of excess liquid. Press if with a spoon to speed up the process.
Now transfer the eggplant into a mixing bowl and mash it well with a fork. Add pressed garlic, lemon juice, tahini, cumin and salt. Mix well to incorporate. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed.
Serve baba ganoush with generous swirl of extra virgin olive oil, fresh parsley, homemade pita bread and veggies of your choice.