Move out of the way hummus; there’s a new dip we’ve got our eyes on!
Believed to be of Lebanese origin, baba ganoush is a popular appetizer of choice in the Middle East. However, it’s not just countries like Israel and Syria that get to enjoy this delectable dish. Thanks to this simple recipe and quick cooking method, anyone can make it.
So, if you’ve got some flatbread that needs dipping in something tasty, you may just want to try this out for yourself.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Baba ganoush is an easy dish to make, partly because you don’t need that many ingredients to bring it all together.
The first thing you want to ensure you have is aubergines. This dip is nothing without this fruit, so it’s the one ingredient you can’t forget.
Other essential elements include garlic and lemon. You’ll also need tahini and extra-virgin olive oil, with the option for chilli powder and parsley leaves if you want additional flavour.
The full list is as follows:
- 3 medium-sized aubergines
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons of tahini
- 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon of chilli powder (if desired)
- ¼ cup of chopped parsley leaves (if desired)
Equipment You’ll Need
It’s all well and good having these ingredients, but if you don’t have the right equipment to use on them, they’re relatively pointless.
Obviously, you’ll need a heat source and baking tray for cooking the aubergine, as well a knife, chopping board, and bowl. Whether you choose to grill or broil this ingredient is up to you. According to several cooking experts, it’s apparently best to blacken the aubergine over an actual flame. However, in lieu of this, grilling is usually what’s recommended.
Additionally, you’ll need some spoons for measuring the tahini and olive oil, plus a garlic press for, well, the garlic.
As for how to bring all these ingredients together into dip form, a food processor is your best friend here. It’ll make everything quicker, smoother, and require a lot less effort on your part. However, if you don’t have one, that’s fine. A spoon and plenty of arm muscle can get the job done just as effectively.
The First Steps
The first thing you’ll want to focus on when making baba ganoush is the aubergines. After preheating your oven to 180C/gas 4, take this ingredient and cut it in half lengthways. In a criss-cross pattern, score the flesh sides of the aubergines with your knife, making sure not to cut so deep that you go through the skin.
After this, you’ll want to coat the fruit in two tablespoons of olive oil, then put them flesh side up on a baking tray. They should go in the oven for 45 minutes, although you can take them out sooner if they’ve softened up.
If you decide to broil your aubergines instead of grilling them, you’ll want to leave them in a bit longer – roughly an hour. You’ll also want to ensure that the broiler is set to high.
Adding The Extras
With your aubergines now cooked, you can start adding the other ingredients into the mix.
Focus on the garlic first.
After peeling the cloves, you can chop them up into fine pieces. However, as garlic is a useful accompaniment to a lot of dishes, it may be beneficial to invest in a garlic press and use that instead. If you don’t currently own one, you can buy this garlic press from Oliver’s Kitchen which leaves less waste to help ensure you get as much as you can from it.
Whether you do choose to use a garlic crusher or not, put it in a food processer once it’s sorted. Then, add in the tahini and the rest of the olive oil, as well as the aubergine without the skin on. Finally, slice the lemons in half and squeeze the juice into the mixture, making sure not to let any pips fall in.
If you plan on adding chilli powder or parsley leaves to your baba ganoush, this is where you’ll want to do it.
The End Result
With everything in the food processor, you can now put on the lid and blitz your ingredients until they resemble a dip.
As mentioned earlier, if you don’t own a food processor, it’s not essential for this stage. However, you will have to mix everything together manually, which will require a lot more time and effort. So, for that reason, along with all these other benefits, it may be in your best interests to buy one of these gadgets.
Once this process is done, you can pour the mixture into a bowl and serve it with flatbread or vegetables.
As you can see, it’s incredibly easy to turn this handful of ingredients into baba ganoush. The process is simple and requires almost no effort at all – with the right tools – and should give you something delicious to enjoy whenever you feel peckish.
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