It almost looks like hummus and is often served together, but baba ganoush calls for grilled or smoked eggplants instead of chickpeas. You can eat baba ganoush just like hummus with a slice of challah or pitta or dip it with some cucumber and carrot.
Middle Eastern cuisine uses many eggplants in their dishes, and baba ganoush is very popular as a side dish. There are a few methods on how to prepare baba ganoush, but in the end it has the same result. Some ways add more texture and others more smoky flavors, so it also depends on what you prefer. We’ll explain a few ways.
How To Make Baba Ganoush?
You can either grill or roast your eggplants and use your stove, grill or oven.
Grill on the stove
Pierce the eggplant a few times with a fork. Wrap each eggplant individually in aluminum foil and make sure that all sides are closely covered. Place the wrapped eggplant on the stove top and open the fire. Rotate every few minutes until the skin is charcoal. It will take about 15-25 minutes. Remove from the fire and set aside in a bowl and cover till it cooled down. Then peel the skin until there is only flesh left.
Grill or roast in the oven
Follow the same steps as the first method but instead you place them in a preheated oven at 200°C (400 F) for about 30-40 minutes. You don’t have to wrap them in aluminium foil, they can just be added to a baking tray lined with aluminium foil. Remove the eggplant from the oven, set aside for 1/2 an hour before you peel the skin. If you have grill function in the oven you can also use the grill and leave them for only 15-25 minutes, keeping an eye on it.
Because eggplants can taste bitter, some prefer to take out most of the seeds. But because this way a lot of the eggplants go to waste we used everything. When mixed with tahini, garlic, lemon, salt and pepper you surely will create the flavor you like.
How to serve Baba Ganoush?
Baba ganoush is always present when we make a Middle Eastern dinner. A few suggestions are to serve it with Israeli salad, hummus, tabouleh, challah, crispy veggies, tahini dip, beetroot salad and yoghurt and dill mix. Stored in a container you can keep baba ganoush in the fridge for 4 days. It also makes a perfect spread for a sandwich! or add it on top of a pita with falafel!
Homemade Baba Ganoush
Equipment
- Philips HR7629 Food Processor
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants or 3 if some are small
- 2 garlic cloves
- 4 tbsp tahini
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- sea salt
- black pepper
- 1-2 tsp liquid smoke
Garnish (optional)
- fresh herbs like cilantro, parsley and dill
- sesame seeds
- chopped pistachio's
- chili flakes
- pepper
- olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven for 200°C (400 F). Pierce the eggplants with a fork. This will allow them to cook more evenly. Place on a baking tray lined with aluminium foil in the middle of the oven. Let it cook for about 30-40 minutes.
- Take the eggplants from the oven and leave them aside to cool down completely. Usually this takes about ½ hour.
- Open the eggplants and take all the flesh and add it to a food processor. Add also all the liquid from the foil. Add the tahini, garlic, lemon, liquid smoke, pepper and salt (by taste). Pulse a few times until it forms a smooth spread. Taste and adjust to your liking by adding more lemon or salt and pepper, maybe some extra liquid smoke if you wish!
- Add the spread to a bowl or plate and garnish with olive oil chopped herbs, chili flakes and sesame seeds. Serve with salads and pitta, flat bread or challah to dip!
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @lickingplates_ig on Instagram and hashtag it #lickingplates.
