Baba Ghanoush/ Moutabel/ Smoked eggplant dip
Thanks to my mama, I decided to try out this simple and delectable eggplant dip called Moutabel/ Baba Ghanoush. I have tried this dip in restaurants outside but wasn’t too fond of it. I realised the reason for this is, traditionally they only hand pound the smoked eggplant and I didn’t like the seeds coming in my mouth. Once in some cafeteria, they had ground this eggplant dip to a smooth paste and I really liked it. Hummus sure as hell is healthy. However, hummus is made out of chickpea which is protein loaded. So, unless you are working out an overload of the healthy hummus can actually be quite harmful since a lot of protein and no workout or very less workout can actually make you put on weight. I have had friends telling me they don’t lose weight even though they mostly survive on fruits and salads. Dig a little deeper into what their salads comprise of and you understand, it’s loaded with either Chickpea/ black-eyed pea/ kidney beans :). Anyways, more on that gyan later. What I realised while making this dip is, it’s utterly just healthy. The dip is made by smoking an eggplant which is low in calorie. The add ons that go into it don’t contribute to increasing the calories too much as well. So, this is an absolutely win-win dip. It has this smoky barbecued taste because of charring the eggplant & is literally smooth like velvet when you eat it. Adding the middle eastern flavour bomb tahini changes the taste. My mil saw me make this and said it’s very similar to a ‘Kathrikkai thogayal’ (eggplant chutney) that she makes which my fil apparently loves. Having said that, D didn’t touch this dip since he hates eggplant. I can only pity him :). Infact, today I have cut up some carrots & celery and plan to have it with the moutabel dip. Having carrots & celery doesn’t seem boring after all and am looking forward to lunching :). Make this people – you will love it. I followed this recipe.
- 1 big eggplant
- 1 pod garlic
- 2.5 tbsp tahini paste
- 1 tbsp lemon juice/ half lemon squeeze
- 1/4 tsp black pepper powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp olive oil optional
-
Make shallow slits on an eggplant and place it directly on the flame and char it. Keep turning the eggplant every minute once.
-
As the skin chars, you will notice the entire eggplant shrinking and becoming smoky. Turn off the heat and let the eggplant cool down a bit.
-
Once the eggplant is a bit cooled down, peel off the skin (If the charring has been done correctly, then you won't struggle with this step).
-
Place the smoked eggplant pulp in a blender along with the tahini paste, pepper, salt, lemon juice, garlic & olive oil.
-
Blend till smooth. Serve immediately along with some fresh veggies/ arabic bread/ falafel or store in an air tight container and use within 7-10 days.
Stepwise pictures
Make shallow slits on an eggplant and place it on flame directly.
Keep turning the eggplant every minute or so. You will notice the outside skin will start to char.
As the charring continues, the entire eggplant will shrink. You will know your charring is done when your eggplant looks like this :).
Once the eggplant has cooled down a bit, peel off the skin. It should be very simple if the charring is done right.
In a blender, place the smoked eggplant pulp, tahini paste, lemon juice, pepper powder, salt & olive oil.
Blend till you get a smooth and fine paste.
Serve immediately along with some arabic bread/ fresh veggies/ falafel or store in an air tight container and use it within 7-10 days.
