Baba Ghannouj Middle Eastern Eggplant Dip Recipes

BABA GANOUSH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Lightly oil a baking sheet.
• Halve eggplants and brush cut sides with olive oil. Place face-down onto the prepared baking sheet.
• Roast in the preheated oven until softened, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool, about 30 minutes.
• Scoop flesh out of skins and place in a mesh strainer. Discard skins. Press down on flesh to remove liquid or drippings. Transfer eggplant flesh to a food processor. Add lemon juice, tahini, garlic, cumin, and chile powder. Drizzle olive oil on top of everything. Blend well, 45 seconds to 1 minute.
• Mix in plain yogurt and season with salt. Serve with a sprinkle of paprika over top for garnish.

TRADITIONAL BABA GHANOUSH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Arrange oven racks so you have one low and one high in the oven.
• Cut a shallow slit along the side of the eggplant and place into a baking dish.
• Roast in preheated oven on the lower rack until the eggplant is completely shrunken and soft, about 40 minutes. Move dish to higher rack and continue baking until the skin is charred, about 5 minutes more. Let eggplant cool until cool enough to handle.
• Peel and discard skin from eggplant. Put eggplant into a bowl; add tahini, garlic, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and salt. Stir until ingredients are evenly mixed. Drizzle olive oil over the baba ghanoush and garnish with parsley.

BABA GHANOUJ - MIDDLE EASTERN EGGPLANT DIP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Line baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with non stick cooking spray.
• Slice egglplant(s) in half lengthwise, and place face-down on baking sheet.
• Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until very tender.
• Cool until comfortable to handle.
• Scoop out the eggplant flesh and discard the skin.
• Place in food processor wth garlic, lemon juice, tahini, salt and corriander.
• Puree until smooth.
• Add minced parsley and pulse to combine.
• Pour into bowl, check for salt, add pepper and cayenne (if using).
• Chill for half hour, or until ready to serve.
• Top with a drizzle of olive oil and some parsely.

BABA GANOUSH RECIPE (ROASTED EGGPLANT MIDDLE EASTERN DIP)

Steps:

• There are two ways to roast the eggplants for the Baba Ganoush Recipe
• For the oven method: Preheat the oven to 200C. Prick the eggplants all over with a fork, this keeps the eggplant from exploding in the oven. Place on a baking sheet and roast until softened and the skin is crusty about 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
• Place the eggplant over the flame. Using a pair of tongs, turn every 5 minutes or so, until the entire surface of eggplant is charred and crispy, about 10 minutes. When you prick with a knife it will go in smoothly and would feel cooked. Don't worry if the eggplant deflates a little. Remove from the burner and place on a plate to cool.
• Once the eggplant is cool enough to touch with your hands, carefully peel the charred skin off the eggplant. Discard the skin. Move the eggplant onto your chopping board, slice off the stem and discard. Using your knife, mince the flesh until almost smooth.
• Into a mixing bowl, add in the minced eggplant, the chopped onions, garlic and parsley, 2 tablespoons of tahini. Stir to combine all the ingredients and finally add in a generous drizzle of olive oil and juice from one lemon, some freshly pounded black pepper and finally some salt to taste. Stir to combine all the ingredients well.
• Transfer the Baba Ganoush to a serving bowl and garnish with more parsley.
• The Baba Ganoush is most often eaten as a dip with khubz or pita bread, and is sometimes added to other dishes as well.

BABA GHANNOUJ: MIDDLE EASTERN EGGPLANT DIP

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 F. Use a fork to poke some holes in the eggplant skin.
• Place eggplant directly on the middle oven rack and roast for 30 minutes, or until the outside is crisp and the inside is soft. Allow it to cool for 20 minutes.
• Cut open the eggplant and scoop out the flesh into a colander; allow to drain for 10 minutes. (Removing the excess liquid helps to eliminate a bitter flavor .)
• Place the eggplant flesh in a medium bowl. Add the remaining ingredients except for the 1 tablespoon olive oil and mash together until the eggplant becomes paste-like. Alternatively, you can also use a food processor and pulse for about 2 minutes.
• Slowly add the olive oil and mix quickly and thoroughly to make sure it emulsifies along with the rest of the ingredients. If using a food processor, turn it on low as you pour the olive oil through the feed tube.
• Place the eggplant dip in a serving bowl and top with the garnish of lemon juice and olive oil. Add other garnishes according to taste.
• Serve with warm or toasted pita or flatbread. Enjoy.

BABA GHANNOUJ

Steps:

• Pierce some holes in the skin of the eggplant (to avoid explosion) and grill over medium-high heat turning every 7 minutes, until the skin is blackened and the body is nice and soft. Total time for grilling is about 30 minutes. If you do not have a grill you can roast your eggplant in a 375 degree F oven for about 30 minutes.
• Remove eggplant from the grill and let cool.
• Once the eggplant is cool enough to handle, peel away the skin and discard. Place the eggplant flesh in a colander and drain for 10 minutes. In a food processor, combine garlic, lemon juice, tahini and parsley and pulse to combine. Add the eggplant flesh. Season with salt and pepper and pulse to combine. Adjust the flavor with more Tahini or lemon juice if you prefer. If it's bitter, some sugar or honey will help. Research shows that the white variety of plant is sweeter in flavor.