Baba Ghanoush
Baba Ghanoush – smoky aubergine dip
Baba Ghanoush is a truly moreish dip with a seductive, smoky flavour laced with garlic and tahini and just enough lemon to make it sing. I can’t fault it. This recipe will show you how to make the very best, gorgeous, Baba Ghanoush you will ever taste.
It just makes you keep coming back for more
Baba Ghanoush is just one of those dishes that makes everyone come back for more. It’s great as part of a mezze or as snacks for a gathering.
Where did Baba Ghanoush originate from?
The story goes that it was first made for a priest who was so overwhelmed by its wonderful flavours that he simply fainted. It then became known as the Father’s indulgence and translated that becomes Baba (Father) Ghanoush..
Charing the skins gives you that wonderfully, seductive, smoky flavour.
Traditionally the aubergine is cooked directly on the flame of the cooker. But the juices tend to run out as it cooks and this can leave a bit of a clean up job. So you can to cook them under a hot grill which still chars the skins if you choose. I personally think giving the cooker a bit of a clean is a small price to pay for the wonderful smoky flavour you get charrng the aubergines directly on the flame.
You could cook them just in the cooker if you prefer. But but you won’t get a smoky flavour using this cooking method.
Ingredients
- 2 large aubergine
- 6 cloves of garlic peeled
- juice of 2 lemons
- 4 tbsp tahini
- 1 tsp ground cumin seeds
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 4 tbsp fresh coriander finely chopped
- sea salt
- olive oil
Method
This is how to make Baba Ghanoush
Rinse the aubergine. Don’t cut off the stalks or the leafy bits – this is what you will use to turn them as they cook over the flame.
Slit the skins
Cut 3 deep slits in the skins of each of the aubergine . This serves 2 purposes. It ensures that steam doesn’t build up in the aubergine as it’s roasting, resulting in it exploding. It also allows the garlic to be cooked.
Pop in the garlic
Push the garlic cloves deep into the slits – this allows them to be cooked at the same time as the aubergine without any danger of being burned. – A hit of raw garlic in a dip isn’t good.
Massage with a little oil
Pour about 1/2 tsp of the oil into the palm of your hands and then rub it onto the skin of the aubergine. This will help with the charing.
Turn on 2 gas hob burners and set them to a high flame
Put the aubergines directly onto the flames. You need to keep an eye on them constantly and keep turning them.
The skin of the aubergines needs to char and blacken all over. The flesh inside needs to go lovely and soft, as it roasts over the flame and begin to collapse, this makes the very best Baba Ghanoush.
Let them sweat
When you’re satisfied that they are fully chared, remove the aubergine from the flame. Put them into a small plastic bag for a couple of minutes whilst they cool down. This allows them to sweat, which will make it easier to remove the skin.
Peel off the blackened skin.
When they’re cool, peel as much of the skin off as you can – if little slithers of the blackened skin remain don’t worry too much, this will just add to the flavour..
Never be tempted to rinse them.
*Whatever you do, don’t be tempted to rinse the aubergines under water, because this will wash away the lovely smoky flavour you’ve spent time building up.
Look out for the garlic.
Pay special attention that the garlic cloves, which you inserted into the slits and were roasted in the cooking process, are taken out. Take them out and mash them well before adding them back to the aubergine.
Mash them with a fork.
Put the peeled, cooked aubergine into a bowl and mash it with a fork.
You could do it in the food processor but Baba Ghanoush is meant to have a slightly chunky texture which would be lost if it was processed.
Add the other ingredients
Add the lemon juice, tahini, ground cumin, smoked paprika, mashed garlic and fresh coriander and mix well.
Season your Baba Ghanoush
Season with the sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add extra lemon juice if necessary.
Drizzle olive oil over your Baba Ghanoush before serving
Spoon your Baba Ghanoush into a wide, shallow serving dish. Then, using the back of a spoon form a groove in a spiral pattern on the surface. Drizzle olive oil over the top. This will then settle in the groove that you’ve just formed.
Serve your deliciously smoky Baba Ghanoush with warm flat breads
Baba Ghanoush and warm, flat breads are a marriage made in heaven. Flat bread is perfect for scooping up this wonderful dip and it just keeps you coming back for more.
Obviously there are alternatives. You could serve it with bread sticks or crackers. A selection of crudités , such as cucumber, carrot, tomato and cauliflower would also be really good, if you choose.
I hope you enjoy this recipe. I look forward to hearing about how you got on with it.