Have you ever made baba ganoush? No? Give it a go today and learn how to make the best home-made dip. What is baba ganoush? It is simply a rich, smoky, creamy and delicious dip or spread, with eggplant as the main ingredient.
Furthermore, baba ganoush is very similar to hummus. You all have heard about and eaten hummus before, right? However, as I said, baba ganoush is made out of eggplant while hummus out of chickpeas. And when looking only at the base ingredients, you can see no difference between them. Moreover, they both have origins in the Middle East or the Levant, the land of the rising sun and they’re both a great appetizer, lunch or supper.
I made both before and I find making baba ganoush way easier and faster. However, this applies only when making the hummus using dried chickpeas. Going back to my recipe, this dish consists of mashed eggplant, garlic, tahini paste, oil and lemon. Fabulous! Just thinking of it, makes my mouth water.
What is tahini paste? Basically, it’s ground sesame seeds and olive oil mixed together. You can find tahini paste in most of the groceries. However, you can make it in your own kitchen as well. It’s a matter of minutes.
Ingredients for 3 big or 6 small portions of baba ganoush:
- 3 eggplants
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 Tbsp of lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp of tahini paste (optional)
- 4 Tbsp of olive oil
- salt, pepper
- chives or parsley (garnish)
Ingredients for a small jar of tahini paste:
- 100 g sesame seeds (toasted)
- 40 ml olive oil
I suggest making the tahini paste first. Toast the sesame seeds. You can do it in a pan (be careful, they can burn very easily) or in the oven. Once they turn golden brown, let them cool down for a couple of minutes. Then transfer them in a food processor together with olive oil.
If you want it runnier, add more olive oil. I say, as being a paste, it should be quite thick, but it should still run in slow motion style off the spoon. You can store it in an airtight glass and keep it in the fridge for months. And the great thing is, not only you can use it in baba ganoush but you can use it also in hummus, for meat dishes and for appetisers.
Next, preheat the oven to 200º C. Wash and cut the eggplants in half (lengthwise). Then prick them with a fork all over the outside part, where the skin is. This will help the steam to escape. Place the eggplants, cut part down, in the oven and roast them for 30-35 minutes.
Once the eggplants are ready, transfer them in a bowl with cold water. This will make the peeling so much easier and faster. Keep them in the water for a couple of minutes and then peel them, by simply using your fingers.
Finally, the last part of the recipe is here. The blending part. You can use a food processor or an immersion blender. I like my practical Bosch immersion blender. I can do a lot and much more with it. Anyway, put the garlic, peeled eggplants, lemon juice, tahini paste, salt and pepper in the blender and process (about 30 seconds) until creamy. By the way, I find that tahini paste can be quite salty. Therefore I suggest going easy on salt and to taste, taste and taste. Only by tasting the food you can make it perfect.
Baba ganoush goes great with flatbread, olives and vegetables. It’s also a perfect appetizer, a healthy lunch and a light supper. Garnish it with some chives or parsley to add some freshness. Is this not one of the best baba ganoush dips ever or what?
Enjoy!
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