Baba Ganoush Vegan Eggplant Spread
The key to making great baba ganoush lies in not being afraid to char the bejeezus out of the eggplants — it gives the flesh a beautifully smoky flavor after you peel away the skin. Use this fabulous vegan spread anywhere you'd use hummus.
Servings: 8
Calories: 88kcal
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (900 grams) small to medium eggplants
- ⅓ cup (78 ml) tahini
- Juice of one lemon
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Olive oil for drizzling
- Chopped fresh parsley or cilantro to garnish
Instructions
- To char the eggplants, either set them directly on a lit gas burner or grill, or place in the oven a few inches below the heat source with the broiler on high. Allow the skin to turn completely black and flaky on the first side, then turn the eggplants with long-handled tongs to begin charring on the next side. Continue turning the eggplants every few minutes until all sides are charred.
- When eggplants are cool enough to handle, remove the stems and peel away and discard as much of the skin as possible. You want to get rid of most of it, but don't worry if there are little bits left on here and there.
- Add the eggplant flesh, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, cumin, and pepper to a food processor fitted with the blade. Pulse to blend thoroughly. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Scrape baba ghanoush onto a serving plate, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with pita wedges or crackers.
Notes
- Choose small- to medium-sized eggplants, since they have fewer seeds and less excess moisture, and tend to taste less bitter. When we use smaller eggplants, we don't find we need to drain any liquid to achieve a beautiful dip.
- If you're using much larger eggplants, after peeling, set the flesh in a colander over a bowl for ten minutes or so to drain, and discard liquid before proceeding.
- Charring the eggplants will take 10 to 15 minutes. You'll know you're done when all the skin is charred and the eggplants are soft all the way through to the middle. Expect some drips and minor flare-ups. It's worth it. (But please be careful.) Set eggplants on a plate to cool.
- If you don't have a food processor, you can grate the garlic on a microplane grater and then just mash up all the ingredients in a bowl with a fork until smooth. This process will produce a less silky dip, but it will still be delicious.
Nutrition
Calories: 88kcal | Carbohydrates: 9.1g | Protein: 2.9g | Fat: 5.5g | Fiber: 3.7g