Baba Ghanoush / Moutabbal

Baba Ghanoush is a smoked eggplant dip eaten with pita bread or as part of the mezze platter.Slight variations are made to the recipe with other ingredients like paprika,onions,tomatoes and is called with different names.This can be served as part of the Mezze platter.

Preparation time:30 minutes

Serves:2

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant

1/4 cup tahini(sesame paste)

3 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon cumin powder

salt to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/8 teaspoon sumac powder or paprika

Procedure:

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.Roast the garlic cloves in a pan with some oil.

3.Grill the eggplant  on high until soft and charred. If you do not have a grill you can roast it on the flame directly.

4.Peel off the skin and bake in oven for about 15 minutes.

5.Transfer the eggplant pulp to the blender, add all the ingredients except sumac and blend to a smooth paste. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle sumac and serve.

Tips:

Eggplant oxidizes quickly when cut,so it is best to char the whole eggplant.