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Across the Levant region, eggplants are grilled and mashed to make a silky, delicious dip for flatbreads and vegetables. Charring the skin of the eggplant imbues the pulp with a smoky flavor, while incorporating full-fat Greek yogurt accentuates the dip's sumptuous texture and tartness.
Baba Ghannouj is one of my all time favourite Mediterranean dips and I always imagined it to be something I could only enjoy in a restaurant Well, it’s actually quite easy to make at home! It takes around half hour and can be enjoyed as a healthy snack, with warm pita bread or crunchy veggies any time of the day. I’m drooling already. Let’s go make this!
Yield: makes 3 cups
Ingredients
900g fresh aubergine, halved lengthwise
Fresh lemon juice from 1 lemon
3 tbsp. pure tahini
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup Greek strained, full-fat yogurt
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1⁄4 cup Greek extra virgin olive oil
1⁄4 cup fresh pomegranate seeds (garnish)
Mint leaves (garnish)
Instructions
Heat up your oven grill to 220-250C.
Prick the aubergines all over with a knife and place them, cut side down on a baking sheet; Grill it, flipping a few times, until skin is charred and aubergine flesh is tender, 20–25 minutes.
Transfer aubergines to a colander set over a bowl; cover with plastic wrap. Let it cool down and peel skin.
Place lemon juice, tahini, garlic, the eggplant, the yogurt, salt, and pepper in a food processor and pulse until slightly smooth, and transfer to a shallow serving dish. If you make more, then keep in a sealed container in the fridge and enjoy later at room temperature.
Using a spoon, make a well on the surface; drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and garnish with pomegranate seeds and fresh mint leaves.
