Say hello to the traditional Middle Eastern spread that's found on meze platters in Middle Eastern restaurants along with hummus, tabbouleh, olivada and other shareables. This one's homemade, no more than eggplant, garlic, lemon, tahini and a touch of fresh parsley. Low Carb. Weight Watchers Friendly. Not just vegan, Vegan Done Real. Naturally Gluten Free. Paleo. Whole30 Friendly. ~recipe updated, first published way back in 2008~
~more recently updated recipes~
~more recently updated recipes~
BACK IN 2008 What's Baba Ganoush, you ask? First, let's just put this out there, that if you like hummus, odds are high that you'll like Baba Ganoush. And if you love hummus but avoid legumes, Baba Ganoush is your new savior, it's like a vegan, low-carb hummus: eggplant substitutes for chickpeas. So what is Baba Ganoush, again? It's a simple purée of grilled or roasted eggplant mixed smooth with garlic, lemon juice, tahini and parsley. It's a healthy Middle Eastern spread or dip that's traditionally served with pita bread but is easy to use up in other ways too. We like it schmeared on burgers!
Before I loved the garlicky, lemony taste of Baba Ganoush, I loved the sound of Baba Ganoush, pronounced [bah-bah gah-NOOSH]. Say it three times, you might love the sound too – but it only takes one taste of baba ganoush to love how it tastes!
ALTERNATE SPELLINGS (These are for you, Word Dancers!) Baba ghanoush; baba bannoujh; baba-ganouj; babaganoush
TAHINI Baba Ganoush calls for tahini, a thick paste of ground sesame seeds. Look for brands that contain only sesame seeds. It comes in a big jar and is expensive so you'll want to be able to use it in something other than Baba Ganoush. The other classic recipes that calls for tahini is hummus, it's a signature ingredient in recipe like mine, Crazy-Smooth Crazy-Good Hummus but also shows up in places like Armenian Tahini Bread. It's not-quite-everyday ingredients like tahini that inspire me to keep up this list of favorite ingredients. Anyone else you know who knows all their best recipes that call for tahini? Useful, eh? :-)
For the record, I don't recommend Trader Joe's Tahini Sauce product, it is not tahini. Since that product launched, Trader Joe's also sells small-ish jars of tahini, it's not bad but I prefer the imported bottles. Tahini should be stored in the refrigerator. Over time, it will separate, just run it through the food processor to reconstitute the tahini.
2017 I adore recipes that stand up to the test of time. This recipe for Baba Ganoush is especially useful because you can grill or roast the eggplant, either one, whichever works better. And then with a few pantry ingredients, it's a matter of adjusting to taste. Next time, I'll use a bit more parsley, the green color is quite pretty!
Baba Ganoush is easy to make thus easy to add to a regular repertoire. In fact, that's what my notes recommend, "Definitely make more often. Easy, easy."
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