DIPS & SPREADS

Burnt Aubergine Dip with Aromatic Crunch

It is the time of the year to burn your aubergine, whizz it into a smokey and creamy Baba Ganoush spread, top it with crunch and dunk all those gorgeous spring veg into it.

1 hour

Serves 6

1 hour

Serves 6

The answer behind almost every great tasting aubergine / eggplant recipe is to roast it longer than you think. That is absolutely the case with this charred aubergine dip known as Baba Ganoush. By roasting the aubergine until the skin is black and collapsed, you get lovely burnt tones, buttery soft flesh, umami complexity and zero bitterness. Then you either mash it with a fork or give it a quick whizz in the food processor with tahini and oil. All in all, a pretty straight forward super delicious spread.

Our twist is in the topping. Inspired by a courgette spread in Noor Murad's instagram story and a photo of a creme fraiche dip generously covered with furikake from Healthyish, we knew that we wanted to add crunch to our dip. So while the eggplant is roasting we make an aromatic oil with spices and seeds in it. The oil gets mixed into the spread and the crunchy seeds sprinkled on top. It is simply great. Tasty and crunchy! Once you start adding crunch to your spreads there is no going back. Well, there is, but you will always feel like something is missing. We used seeds here, but almonds or other nuts would also be great. We swirled in some yogurt into the spread to give it a bright and tangy contrast but if left out, the spread is vegan.

May is the perfect season to make spreads like these, not only because the first aubergines are here, but also because there are tons of other vegetables in season that are particularly tender tight now and taste best eaten raw and dunked in dips and spreads. Radishes, cucumbers and carrots are all classic dipping vegetables, but don't forget raw beetroot and endive on a veg platter. This flatbread would also be great. So, heat up your oven, bbq or gas hob and start blazing your aubergines.

INGREDIENTS

3 medium aubergines / eggplants
80 ml / 1/3 cup oil
2 tsp whole fennel seeds
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 clove garlic, sliced
1/2 chili, sliced (optional)
Peel from 1/2 lemon (save the juice for the dip)
2 tsp fresh or dried oregano
4 tbsp sunflower seeds (or nuts)
2 tbsp sesame seeds
80 ml / 1/3 cup tahini
1 lemon, juice
Salt

Serve with
1/2 cup thick yogurt
Raw seasonal vegetables

PREPARATION

1. Set the oven to 225C° / 450°F.
2. Puncture the aubergines with the edge of a knife and place in a baking dish. Roast until the skin is black and the flesh is tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
3. Meanwhile add oil, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, garlic, chili and lemon peel to a sauce pan and place it over lowest heat, you want the oil to soak up the flavor from the aromatics without burning.
4. Chop sunflower seeds coarsely and add to the pan along with sesame seeds. When it smells fragrant and the seeds have become a little crunchy, take it off the heat and use a sieve to separate the crunchy elements from the oil into two different bowls. Add a pinch of salt to the seeds and let cool.
5. When the aubergines are ready, divide them into half lengthwise, scoop out flesh with a spoon, place in a sieve and gently press out any excess liquid.
6. Transfer the aubergines to a food processor (or a bowl and mash it with a fork). Add the aromatic oil, tahini and juice from half a lemon. Give it a quick pulse so it's broken up and creamy but still a little chunky. Season to taste with more lemon, salt and pepper (and perhaps more garlic if you prefer).
7. Place in a bowl, stir in a little greek yogurt (optional) and drizzle all the seeds on top (including the lemon peel and fried garlic).
8. Serve with raw, seasonal vegetables.

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12 Comments

sonika
14 Aug ’20 at 07:33
Nice !! I love it.
Reply
Susan
11 Aug ’20 at 20:35
When do you use the oregano? Thanks!
Reply
Alberto Gómez
11 Aug ’20 at 02:51
Very good, but I don't speking english. Only spanish. Thank for the translation.
Reply
Selma
7 Jul ’20 at 21:39
An honest question: why didn't you just call the dish Baba Ganoush and acknowledged the arabic background more? I think there is a really healthy long overdue discussion about cultural appropiation (also to be found in the food blogger industry) going on, i.e Alison Roman, Samin Nosrat, Sohla El-Waylly and others. I would love for you to join in the discussion and hear your stance in the issue. Thank you for everything you do, all love! #blacklivesmatter
Reply
Sue
22 Jun ’20 at 12:03
I love baba ganoush and have made it a few times. Your recipe will now be my go-to baba ganoush recipe as it was so tasty. In fact, I'm off to buy more aubergines so I can make it again! One question though - you list fresh/dried oregano amongst the ingredients but despite reading the instructions a few times I couldn't see oregano mentioned. I added it to the oil when heating it as that seemed the sensible thing to do.
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Kit Lang
14 Jun ’20 at 16:36
This looks so wonderful! I'm wondering, is there anyway to subscribe to this blog?
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Samantha
8 Jun ’20 at 08:10
I haven't roasted aubergines in a long time. I usually do it on the stove top when I am in a hurry. It's a quick fix. You just have to hold it over the open flame and after the skin turns all over wait for it cool down and rub away at the charred skin. The delicious stuff inside can be mashed to make the recipe. I am going to try your method this time.
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Marina
5 Jun ’20 at 09:09
This is heavenly good! I have just made it for lunch and I don't think it will survive for more than an hour, it's so good! The funny thing, I've been making an eggplant dip with more or less the same ingredients like in the recipe, but I'd just throw everything in the blender, and the result would be ok. Prepared this way, it's a little bowl of heaven... I substituted tahini with 0.5 cup walnuts (because I don't like it and they don't sell it here anyway) and I mashed the eggplants with the skin. Thank you for the amazingly tasty recipe!
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Sonja Bergau
26 May ’20 at 07:22
It sounds really delicious! Can you keep it in the fridge for a day or two? Sonja
Reply

Green Kitchen Stories
28 May ’20 at 23:01
Hi Sonja, yes it holds up well in the fridge for a few days. /D
Reply

Viki Ballinger
25 May ’20 at 11:14
Love this idea. Have been cooking for many years but I have never seen a recipe like this. And it is healthy!
Reply
Sandra
25 May ’20 at 10:03
This looks so gorgeous! I love eggplant but don’t make baba ganoush often enough. Love the look of the crunchy seeds on top!
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