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Foxaru
Baba Ganoush – plated and served
VegetarianVeganSaladsSummerLebanese

Baba Ganoush

Smoky eggplant dip with tahini, garlic and lemon, roasted over an open flame.

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Preparation
15 min
Cook/bake time
35 min
Total
50 min
Difficulty
Easy
Calories
267 kcal
Servings
4
Prep
15 min
Cooking & baking
35 min

Smoky eggplant dip with tahini, garlic and lemon, roasted over an open flame. The entire character of the dish depends on the eggplants truly charring on the outside, because only then does the flesh acquire its typical smoky flavor. A meze classic that can be prepared impressively with little effort.

Why this works

The smoky flavor only develops during charring. When the skin burns over the flame, phenols like guaiacol are formed, which diffuse through the hot skin into the flesh. These are the same compounds that characterize smoked meat. In the oven, the eggplant becomes soft at 200 °C but never reaches the temperature at which these substances are created. Therefore, the black skin is not collateral damage, but the source of the aroma.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Char the eggplants

    Pierce the eggplants several times with a fork and place them directly on the gas flame, on the grill or under the oven broiler on the highest setting. Turn them every few minutes until the skin is black and blistered all over and the fruit collapses. Depending on the method, this takes twenty to thirty minutes and must be done very consistently.

  2. Let steam

    Place the charred eggplants in a bowl and cover them for ten minutes. The trapped steam loosens the skin from the flesh and makes peeling much easier. After that, the black skins can be pulled off almost by themselves.

  3. Let drain

    Scoop out the soft flesh and place it in a sieve. Let it drain for fifteen minutes and press it out slightly. Eggplants contain a lot of water, and without this step, the dip will be thin and taste diluted instead of concentrated.

  4. Mix

    Place the drained flesh in a bowl and mash it with a fork instead of pureeing it. Baba Ganoush can be a bit fibrous and chunky, which distinguishes it from a smooth cream. Stir in tahini, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt and cumin.

  5. Serve

    Season generously, as the dip usually needs more lemon and salt than expected. Spread it into a shallow bowl with the back of a spoon, make a well and pour olive oil into it. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds and parsley on top and serve with warm flatbread.

Our best tips

  • The skin must be truly black. Eggplants baked only in the oven result in a completely different, much flatter dish.
  • Let the flesh drain, otherwise the dip will become watery.
  • Mash with a fork instead of pureeing. The slightly fibrous texture is characteristic.

Tasty variations

With yogurt

Fold in two tablespoons of Greek yogurt, which makes the dip milder and lighter.

On the grill

Place the eggplants directly in the embers at your next barbecue, which yields the most intense smoky flavor.

Nutrition facts

Per serving (1 portion)
Calories267 kcal
Protein5 g
Carbohydrates11 g
– of which sugar7 g
Fat21 g
Fiber9 g

Where the 267 kcal come from

per serving
Calculated from the ingredients – how we do it

We add up reference values for every ingredient and divide by the number of servings. These assumptions are baked in:

  • Reference values per 100 g – for the raw ingredient, exactly as listed.
  • Tinned goods count at drained weight, bone-in meat at purchase weight: you eat about 70 per cent of a chicken thigh and leave the rest.
  • Water evaporates as you cook. The energy stays in the pot, the weight does not – so the figure is per serving, not per 100 g of finished dish.
  • Anything listed without a quantity – “salt and pepper” – is not counted.

A guide value, not a lab measurement: no two onions weigh the same, and fat content varies from pack to pack.

How we calculate nutrition →

Frequently asked questions

Does it work without a gas stove?

Yes. It works well under the oven broiler on the highest setting, but it takes longer. The eggplants must be close to the heating element and turned regularly.

What is the difference to Mutabbal?

Mutabbal additionally contains yogurt and is creamier. Baba Ganoush is essentially the pure, smoky eggplant version, but the terms are often mixed up.

How long does the dip keep?

Three days in the refrigerator. It continues to steep and often tastes even more rounded on the second day. Let it come to room temperature before serving.

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