Sunday, October 18, 2009

Baba Ghanoush


Inspiration:
The Amazing Race's stop in Dubai
and
JustDubai.org


Ingredients:
  • 1 large eggplant
  • garlic powder or fresh garlic
  • salt
  • pepper or hot sauce
  • fresh lemon juice (to taste)
  • 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
  • 1 scallion, chopped (optional)
  • Pita wedges, for serving

Instructions:
  1. First wash eggplant. Pierce in a few places with a fork or knife. Bake eggplant in 205 ºC (400 ºC) oven until skin has almost collapsed and the eggplant is very soft. Let cool.
  2. Scoop out and mash all of the flesh. Throw away the skin. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Adjust seasonings to taste. Refrigerate and then serve.

Recipe Notes: It is a popular Levantine dish of eggplant mashed and combined with diverse seasonings. Usually the eggplant is baked or broiled over an open flame before peeling, so that the pulp is soft and has a smoky savor. Baba Ganoush is served as a dip with pita bread, and is sometimes added to other dishes. It is typically of an earthy light brown color.


My Notes: I have had Baba Ganoush in restaurants but never made it at home. While I thought it was ok, and I am glad I made it, I think I prefer hummus. :) I thought it is likely authentic enough as it comes from a Dubai website, but really almost all other recipes found online contained tahini and not mayonnaise!


Liz's Rating: 7.5/10
Tim's Rating: 8/10

Next on The Amazing Race: Dubai again. What are your favorite Middle-Eastern recipes?

6 comments:

weezermonkey said...

I like dip. I'm not picky. :)

Pretty picture!

Kate said...

What about the all-important tahini?

Liz said...

Wowsers-- I talked about the lack of tahini in my "notes" section. I probably would have made it with tahini if I had read up more on baba ghanoush before heading to the grocery.

Anonymous said...

I LOVE baba ganoush. :) I love your garnish on it b/c it can look pretty weird without.

btw- tried emailing but it didn't work for some reason - thank you SO much for the kind words. You made my day. :)

10yearstogether said...

I LOVE BBG. I'm starring this one too! I love how you make the food look so good in the photos. I mean, not that it doesn't taste as good. You know what I mean. ;-)

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