Netflix I love it. A great platform for movies, but a better platform to learn more about the world of food. When I watch Netflix it’s always a documentary or series about food. Besides Italy, I also find Arab countries fascinating. They work with a lot of spices for example Saffron, but also pure products with a lot of vegetables. One of these dishes is Baba Ganoush. In this article, we are going to take a closer look at how to make Baba Ganoush.
What is the definition of Baba Ganoush
The meaning of Baba Ganoush is:
”Baba Ganoush is a salad of roasted eggplants. You mash the eggplants and mix it with different ingredients. This dish is popular in the Middle East”.
History
To start with answering the question: What is Baba Ganoush? Its’ a salade of roasted eggplants that are mashed and combined with other ingredients. The dish is also familiar as baba ghanoui or baba ganouj.
The word means spoiled father. Baba means father. The second part is ganoush that means spoiled. There is much speculation about the origin of the name. One story is about a daughter that is growing up in the Middle East. The daughter is preparing food for her father. Her father is an elderly man with bad teeth. Due to the bad teeth, he mainly had to eat soft food. The daughter ground the eggplant and mixed it with ingredients. That way her father could still eat.
Whether the story is true or not, food brings people together. And even this dish is not originally from the Middle East. Aubergine is a product that is grown in South East Asia. It has been cultivated here for thousands of years. There are often two options: the large aubergine and the small one. The bigger ones come from India, the smaller ones from China.
The dish is an appetizer. Of course, many different combinations of ingredients are possible, so that every country gives its twist to this dish. You can use it as a dip or salad on room temperature.
Ingredients
To make this main dish you need a couple of ingredients. The main ingredient is Eggplant. The other ingredients are: tahini, lemon, garlic, cumin, extra virgin olive oil, smoked paprika and parsley. You can find the recipe below or watch our video!
Baba Ganoush
Equipment
- Bowl
Ingredients
- 2 Eggplants
- 80 gram Tahini
- 2 cloves Garlic (medium)
- 30 ml Lemon Juice
- 30 gram Fresh Parsley
- 2,5 gram Cumin
- 2,5 gram Salt
- 1 pinch Smoked Paprika
- 1 pinch Cayenne Pepper
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Instructions
- The first step is roasting your Eggplant. You can do this by putting the Eggplant over an open flame. Keep on turning the Eggplant. Until they become soft.
- After 5 minutes the Eggplant is roasted and soft. Cut the Eggplant open and put all the liquid and pulp in a bowl. You can throw away the skin.
- The Eggplant is smoking hot, let it cool down for 15-20 minutes and drain the liquid.
- The next step is to add the ingredients to the bowl: tahini, chopped garlic, salt, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, parsley, lemon juice and the cumin.
- Mash it together and add 10 ml of extra virgin olive oil. To mash it together you can use a spoon or a fork.
- Taste the flavor of the baba ganoush, this is the moment to add more of an ingredient. Put the parsley on top, a little bit smoked paprika and of course the olive oil.
Notes
- If you do not have an open flame (gas stove), you can also use the oven. Preheat the oven to 220-230 degrees Celsius. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking tray. It is important that you already cut the aubergines in half. The skin on the top. The Aubergines can keep you in the oven for around 40-45 minutes. Remove them from the oven when they are soft on the inside.
- When you taste the baba ganoush its time to add some ingredients if its necessary. An important note: i didn't mention the total of olive oil, because its based on your own taste and preferences.Â
Nutrition
FAQ Baba Ganoush
Below you can find the most frequently asked questions:
What is Baba Ganoush?
Baba Ganoush is a salad of roasted eggplants. You mash the eggplants and mix it with different ingredients.
Which Olive Oil do I Need?
I prefer the extra Virgin Olive Oil, to get the best taste!