Baba Ganoush
Aubergines burnt black over a live flame, drained hard, then folded with tahini and lemon. Smoke and texture, not a smooth purée.
- Prep
- 15m
- Cook
- 25m
- Waiting
- 30m
- Total
- 1h 10m
- Serves
- 4
- Effort
- Moderate
Method
Tap a step number to mark it done. Tap an ingredient once for got it, twice for need it.
| 3 | Char over a live flame until the skins are black and the fruit slumps 20m Turn every few minutes. When a skewer meets no resistance at the stem end, it is done. | Drain the flesh in a colander for 30 minutes 30m Aubergines are mostly water. Every spoonful you drain off is a spoonful of tahini you do not have to dilute. | Fold together with a fork and leave 15 minutes before eating 5m A fork, not a processor. The point is strands of flesh, not a paste. | |
| 4 tbsp | Whisk to a loose cream 3m | |||
| 2 tbsp | ||||
| 1 small clove | ||||
| 1 tsp | ||||
| 2 tbsp | ||||
| a small handful | ||||
| 2 tbsp | ||||
-
Char over a live flame until the skins are black and the fruit slumps
20m- aubergines 3
Turn every few minutes. When a skewer meets no resistance at the stem end, it is done.
-
Drain the flesh in a colander for 30 minutes
30m- from 1 Char over a live flame until the skins are black and the fruit slumps
Aubergines are mostly water. Every spoonful you drain off is a spoonful of tahini you do not have to dilute.
-
Whisk to a loose cream
3m- tahini 4 tbsp
- lemon juice 2 tbsp
- garlic 1 small clove
- fine salt 1 tsp
-
Fold together with a fork and leave 15 minutes before eating
5m- from 2 Drain the flesh in a colander for 30 minutes
- from 3 Whisk to a loose cream
- extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp
- flat-leaf parsley a small handful
- pomegranate seeds (optional) 2 tbsp
A fork, not a processor. The point is strands of flesh, not a paste.
Why the flame, not the oven
The smoke flavour is not seasoning added later — it is made on the spot. As the skin pyrolyses it releases phenolic compounds that migrate into the wet flesh just under it. An oven at 220°C cooks the aubergine through perfectly well but never gets the surface hot enough to break down that way, so you get sweetness with no smoke.
Draining is the other half. Cooked aubergine holds a surprising amount of water, and if it stays in, the tahini thins out and the dip turns grey and sloppy within the hour.
Notes
- Line the hob with foil first. The clean-up is otherwise grim.
- Scrape the flesh away from the skin rather than peeling — a little clinging char is good, flakes of it are not.
- Better the next day, once the smoke settles into the tahini.