Sign up
← Back to filtered recipes
Baba Ganoush

Middle Eastern · 50 min · Easy · 6 servings

Baba Ganoush

Eggplants burnt black over a flame until the flesh collapses, then beaten with tahini, lemon and garlic. Smoky, loose and nothing like a puree of raw eggplant.

~160 cal per serving — Calories are approximate, per serving — a guide only.

gluten-freesoy-freenut-freelow-calorie
Plan it:

Method

  1. 1

    Blacken the eggplants

    ⏱ 40 min

    Heat the oven to 475°F conventional (220°C fan), or use a gas flame or barbecue. Prick the eggplants all over and cook them until the skins are blackened and blistered and they have collapsed completely — they should look ruined. That char IS the flavor.

  2. 2

    Drain the flesh

    ⏱ 20 min

    Let them cool until you can handle them, then split each one open and scoop the flesh into a sieve. Leave it to drain properly — watery flesh makes a watery dip.

  3. 3

    Beat it together

    Chop the drained flesh on a board, then beat it in a bowl with the tahini, garlic, lemon juice, cumin and a good pinch of salt. Use a fork, not a blender — baba ganoush should be rough, not smooth.

  4. 4

    Finish

    Taste and adjust with more lemon or salt, spread into a shallow bowl, and pour the olive oil over the surface. Scatter with parsley and the pomegranate seeds if using.

Notes

Over a gas flame is best if you have one; the oven gets you most of the way. Draining the flesh is the step people skip and then wonder why their dip is soupy. Beating by hand keeps the texture — a blender makes it gluey.

Cooking this later?Save to Pinterest