Baba ganoush. I mildly feel like a one year old saying their first word. Is that when children speak their first word? …Can you tell I’m not a parent? Turns out the Arabic name is derived from “daddy” and “pampered”, so while I’m spot on with feeling like a toddler, this leaves me with no idea as to how “pampered daddy” relates to roasted eggplant.
Whatever its name may be, this roasted eggplant dip is creamy, fluffy, and full of umami flavour. Smokey Vegan Baba Ganoush is like a whipped hummus, airier and lighter since it’s made with eggplant rather than chickpeas. That means I can eat more of it right? Say yes.
I love to wander the grocery store on my way home from school. It temporarily sucks the stress out of my mind, and the money from my wallet along with it. When I came across an adorably stout, plump, and glossy eggplant, I had to bring it home. It was pleading, “transform me into something beautiful!” My first experience with making baba ganoush was a success, so I easily convinced myself to do so again. I do that a lot, convincing myself to buy things I didn’t need.
My secret to great hummus, or in this case, baba ganoush, is garlic powder. I get that it doesn’t exactly give your breath the most fragrant smell, although garlic lovers like us may beg to differ, but it provides the savoury taste that plain eggplant desperately needs. Paprika suits eggplant very nicely and is what contributes the smokey flavour. My favourite way to enjoy this vegan baba ganoush is with raw carrot sticks.
If you currently live the hummus life, I would like to lure you over to the open arms of baba ganoush. Come to the baba ganoush side, we have fluffier dips that are just as easy to make.
- 1 medium to large eggplant
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 3 tbsp tahini
- Juice of ½ large lemon
- ¼ to ½ tsp garlic powder, depending on how much garlic you like
- 1½ tsp paprika
- 1 tsp sesame oil (optional)
- A small handful of fresh cilantro (optional but recommended)
- Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- Preheat oven to 350⁰F. Slice the eggplant in half lengthwise and place cut side down onto a baking tray. Roast in the oven for 45 to 60 minutes, or until fresh is very soft. Set cooked eggplant aside to cool.
- In a food processor, blend the garlic, tahini, lemon juice, garlic powder, and paprika together until smooth. Scrape the eggplant flesh into the food processor and blend until smooth. Add the sesame oil (if using), and cilantro, process until cilantro is chopped up. Season with salt and pepper and blend until combined. Serve with vegetable sticks and/or crackers. Store dip in a sealed container in the fridge.
Leave a Reply