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Baba ghanouj

Name: Baba ghanouj recipe
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 4 medium eggplants; 60ml olive oil; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 90g tahini; Juice of 1 lemon, plus extra to taste; White pepper, to taste; 70g yoghurt; Pomegranate seeds, to serve; Kaak (Arabic sesame seed bread) or flatbread, to serve

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by Nayran Tabiei

CHEF

Jul 05, 2022

“Barbecued eggplant, the smell of fresh mint and the bright flavour of pomegranate seeds transports me to Damascus!” – Nayran Tabiei.

4 medium eggplants
1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/3 cup (90g) tahini
Juice of 1 lemon, plus extra to taste
White pepper, to taste
1/4 cup (70g) natural yoghurt
Pomegranate seeds, to serve
Kaak (Arabic sesame seed bread) or flatbread, to serve

Method

1.

Preheat oven to 200°C. Pierce eggplants all over with a fork. Cut eggplants in half lengthways and brush cut sides with 1 tbs olive oil. Place on a baking tray, cut side down, and roast for 1 hour or until very tender. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
2.

Peel skin off eggplants and discard. Place flesh in a large bowl and mash well with a fork (or whiz in a food processor). Combine eggplant, garlic, remaining 2 tbs olive oil, tahini, lemon juice and 2 tsp salt flakes and mash well. You want the mixture to be somewhat smooth but still retaining some of the eggplant’s texture.
3.

Cool to room temperature, then season to taste with additional lemon juice, salt and white pepper. Swirl a little olive oil on the top and stir throughout the yoghurt. Top with pomegranate seeds and serve with kaak or flatbread.