Baba Ganoush or Eggplant Dip

Hello foodies

My journey continues with middle eastern cuisine. My family loves middle eastern food like falafel sandwich, zaatar manakeesh, hummus. I also love baba ganoush, a dip which I never prepared before but ate at the restaurant. I was thinking of making it at home so when I had a big eggplant lying around, I decided to give it a try. It was so delicious! Whenever I buy big eggplant, I make baingan bharta or olo which is my husband’s favourite. This time he wasn’t in mood to eat olo so I got an opportunity to try this dip. It was absolutely delicious! It is very easy to make and most of the ingredients I found in my pantry.

Like hummus, baba ganoush or baba ghanoush or baba ghanouj also can be used as a dip with veggies, spread on toast, eat with tortilla chips, spread on pita sandwich or burritos or use for salad dressing. I made pita chips from store-bought pita and served with it.

Let’s check out this delicious dip recipe.

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 15-20 mins
Ingredients:

1 big eggplant / brinjal / baingan
2-3 cloves of garlic
1/3 cup tahini (sesame sauce)
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
Salt to taste

Procedure
1. You can either grill eggplant on outdoor grill or roast in an oven. I figured out the brilliant way to roast eggplant….. 😉 . I cut the eggplant length wise from the middle. In a non stick pan, add 1 tsp oil. Heat the pan and then lower the heat. First put cut side on the pan and when there are charred mark on cut side then flip skin side down on the pan. Cook on low covering the lid until eggplant it very soft to touch. You can check with knife if it is cooked. Remove it from the heat. When eggplant is easy to handle, remove skin. Keep in a strainer for at least 30 minutes to drain access water out.

2. You can use store-bought tahini. If you want to make tahini at home, in a blender/mixer blend roasted sesame seeds with olive oil till smooth paste.

3. In a blender/mixer, add garlic cloves and crush it. Then add rest of the ingredients and make a smooth paste. Adjust lemon juice and salt if needed.

4. Store in glass container for few days. Keep in refrigerator. Serve with pita or tortilla chips or as a dip with veggies. This dip has the fresh flavour of garlic and sesame seeds.