If you’re a garlic lover looking for a stand-out baba ghanouj recipe, look no further! If the idea of garlic is appealing, but the bite isn’t, change the order in which you add the ingredients by adding the garlic and lemon juice to your mixing bowl first, then wait 5-10 minutes for the garlic to “cure” in the acid. This will remove the bite but leave the delicious uniquely umami flavor that you can only get from fresh garlic.
My Garlic Baba Ghanouj is as easy as it is moreish, and I can honestly say that I make this at least once a month just for myself. I’d share with my husband, but eggplants sadly don’t agree with him. While normally I’d just let the recipe fall by the wayside in favor of something we could eat together instead, I honestly can’t because I just end up craving it. I literally have dreams about this Garlicky Baba Ghanouj- try it once and you will too!
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Char the eggplants over a high flame, either on a gas stovetop, grill, fire pit, or in the oven (you’ll need to use the broiler function)- don’t forget, the best way to cook an eggplant is to burn it! Turn the eggplant once it’s burnt so it cooks evenly. This should take anywhere from 20 minutes (over a fire or grill) to 40 minutes (in the oven) or so.
Cool the eggplants by putting them in a large bowl of very cold water. This should take about 20 minutes.
In the meantime, mix together the tahini, lemon juice, sumac, ground pepper, and kosher salt in a large mixing bowl.
Once the eggplants are cool, peel them. Keeping them submerged in the water they cooled in will help make it a bit easier. Discard all of the charred peel and water.
Finely chop the eggplant and add it to the large mixing bowl with the tahini mixture.
Mix everything together and transfer to a serving bowl to serve immediately or an air-tight container with a drizzle of olive oil over the top, to store refrigerated for up to 5 days. Tip: the flavors meld better if you let the baba ghanouj sit in the fridge, so I like to make it the day before I plan to serve it.
Optional: after transferring to a serving bowl, create a swirl in the baba ghanouj by pressing a small spoon into the mixture with one hand while rotating the bowl with the other hand. Start in the center and make your way toward the sides of the bowl, creating a spiral well to drizzle extra virgin olive oil into. Sprinkle a pinch of ground sumac over the top and serve with things to dip such as grilled pita, vegetables, crackers, or whatever else you’d like!
Garlicky Baba Ghanouj
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants (also known as aubergines), (Italian or Globe variety. If you use a different variety, make sure you get 2 lbs)
- ¼ Cup tahini
- 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large lemon (or two small lemons), juiced
- 2-3 cloves garlic (depending on how much you love garlic), made into a paste using a microplane grater, food processor, or by mincing then scraping with a knife
- 2 tsp ground sumac
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Char the eggplants over a high flame, either on a gas stovetop, grill, fire pit, or in the oven (you'll need to use the broiler function)- don't forget, the best way to cook an eggplant is to burn it! Turn the eggplant once it's burnt so it cooks evenly. This should take anywhere from 20 minutes (over a fire or grill) to 30 minutes (in the oven) or so.
- Cool the eggplants by putting them in a large bowl of very cold water. This should take about 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, mix together the tahini, lemon juice, sumac, ground pepper, and kosher salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Once the eggplants are cool, peel them. Keeping them submerged in the water they cooled in will help make it a bit easier. Discard all of the charred peel and water.
- Finely chop the eggplant and add it to the large mixing bowl with the tahini mixture.
- Mix everything together and transfer to a serving bowl to serve immediately or an air-tight container with a drizzle of olive oil over the top, to store refrigerated for up to 5 days. Tip: the flavors meld better if you let the baba ghanouj sit in the fridge, so I like to make it the day before I plan to serve it.
- Optional: after transferring to a serving bowl, create a swirl in the baba ghanouj by pressing a small spoon into the mixture with one hand while rotating the bowl with the other hand. Start in the center and make your way toward the sides of the bowl, creating a spiral-shaped well to drizzle extra virgin olive oil into. Sprinkle a pinch of ground sumac over the top and serve with things to dip such as grilled pita, vegetables, crackers, or whatever else you'd like!