Easy Party Appetizer

If you love cooking or not, making this recipe is fairly easy for any one. Baba Ghanoush can add a great flavor to any party and it’s easy and quick to make. Sometimes I roast eggplant in oven and sometimes when I am in hurry, I use my toaster oven to roast the eggplant in high heat. It cooks up fast. It is vegan recipe so it is great for vegan, vegetarians and meat eaters alike.

You need to add Tahini, Garlic, Olive Oil and Lemon Juice and put in food processor to coarse constancy or fine pureed dip per your taste. Add extra garnishing touch with Cilantro and olive oil and you’re done. It is that simple. You can serve it with pita or bread.

Around the World: Interesting Tidbits

There are similar dishes made from grilled eggplant similar to “Baba Ganoush” around the world, eaten and loved by many people.

• In Palestinian homes, it is made with wild eggplant from the Arabic meaning ‘of the earth.’ It is made with tehina, olive oil, lemon and parsley.

• In Lebanon, baba ghanoush is a starter or appetizer and quite famous dish eaten everyday.

• In Egypt it is mostly served as a side-dish or salad. It is made of aubergine with finely diced onions, tomatoes, and other vegetables mixed inside it.

• In Israel, both the traditional version made with tahina and a variation made with mayonnaise is eaten.

• Also in Greece, it is called melitzanosalata(meaning “eggplant salad”).

• In Romania, the eggplant spread is called “Salat? de vinete” (eggplant salad).

• In India and Pakistan it is known as “Baigan Bharata”, it is made with grilled charred long eggplant, with onions and tomatoes.

• There is also Bulgarian eggplant salad/spread, called kyopolou.

Baba Ganoush Recipe:

Ingredients:

3 long thin eggplant or 1 large eggplant

1 tsp.grated lemon peel (about half a lemon, outer rind only)

1 Tbs. lemon juice

1 Tbs minced garlic or 3 garlic cloves

2 TbS. Tahini (found at health food stores)

Salt and Pepper per taste

Olive Oil as Needed about 2-3 Tbs

Finely chopped Cilantro for garnish

6 or so Pitas, or crackers or other bread

Method:

1. Sliced the eggplants in to thin disc if using large eggplants. If you are using long thin ones, slice it in half on long side.

2. Put some olive oil all over the eggplant, salt and pepper.

3. Put Eggplants on foil for easy clean up. You can use oven or toaster oven to roast the eggplants.

4. Roast until eggplant skin is charred and feel soft to touch, turning the eggplant over once. It can be 20-40 minutes, depending on size of eggplants and type of oven you may have.

5. Take it from oven, let it cool. Peel the skin or keep it. It is up to you. I usually leave skin as it is for rustic flavor.

6. Roughly hand chopped the eggplant and put in food processor or blender.

7. Add Grated Lemon peel, Lemon Juice, Garlic Cloves, Tahini, Salt as needed and Olive oil and puree until smooth as you like.

8. Take out mixture in to shallow dish or serving bowl.

9. Drizzle more olive oil, peperika and finely chopped cilantro for garnish.

10. Serve at room temperature, with toasted pita triangles, crackers, or other breads.

How to Make Video:

For those who like visual learning of how to Baba Ganoush, here is video of how to make it. I make it often at home, but my skills at video and picture taking are so minimal, I always leave to professional!

Enjoy and check out other food and recipe posts from Heart and Mind:

We are what we eat, really!

How to Make Best Ever Chai-Tea at Home

Best Pressure Cooker and Canner

How to Preserve Food

Image source: Source

Other source: Wikipedia, My Middle eastern Friend Abeed