Baba ganoush is a traditional eggplant dip that is made all over the Middle East and the Mediterranean. It’s also one of my favorite Lebanese foods, and I just can’t pass it up when I visit a Lebanese restaurant. Well, I haven’t found a favorite Lebanese restaurant since I moved to Fort Lauderdale, so I’m taking things into my own hands and making baba ganoush today. It doesn’t look difficult, and I know my husband will love it (he’s never tried it). Let’s find out if it’s as easy as it looks!
Baba Ganoush is a popular Middle Eastern eggplant dip. Enjoy it with fresh vegetables or pita bread. Vegan & gluten-free!
The Ingredients
As usual, I had the tahini and spices for this recipe on hand, but I had to buy most everything else. That wasn’t a problem, though, as my local grocery store had everything I needed. The olive oil was the most expensive item, of course, and only a small amount was needed for this recipe.
Tahini is something I always keep around because it’s a terrific addition to dips and salad dressings. It’s getting much easier to find, and my favorite local grocery stores stock it. If yours don’t, there’s always Amazon (I use LiOR tahini). And like the olive oil, a little bit goes a long way. I keep opened jars in the refrigerator, and they last for months.
The Process
The first step to making baba ganoush is roasting the eggplant. This recipe gives instructions on how to do that over an open flame on a gas cooktop, however, I have an electric stove. Not to worry, though, because you can roast eggplant a number of ways.
I chose to broil mine in the oven using the tutorial linked above. It took just a little longer than the gas stovetop method described in the recipe (20 minutes instead of 15). That gave me more than enough time to prep the rest of the ingredients while it was in the oven.
A few minutes to let the steam dissipate, and I was ready to peel the charred eggplant. The skin practically fell away, and scooping out the eggplant couldn’t have been easier. Just be careful since it’s pretty hot!
Making the baba ganoush was very quick and easy thanks to my food processor. I know I mention my mini-prep in a lot of posts (I do use it a lot!), but this is a job for a full-sized food processor.
I had my baba ganoush whipped up and garnished in just a few minutes. The total time for this recipe was 32 minutes. The recipe listed 25, but five of those extra minutes was because I broiled my eggplant in the oven.
