Flame Roasted Baba Ganoush With Whole Wheat Flat-Bread Recipe : vegetarian / vegan / paleo

Baba Ganoush is a delicious dish made with roasted eggplant and tahini. The name Baba Ganoush has Arabic origins and literally means spoiled father. According to Middle Eastern food lore, it alludes to an elderly, toothless father – or baba – whose daughter had to mash his food because he wasn't able to chew it.

Baba Ganoush is a very quick and easy dish to make, and one of the secrets of a good Baba Ganoush is roasting it on an open flame to get a charred skin and the perfect texture. It is often accompanied with flat bread, or pita bread and some vegetables and salad. There is something very soothing about this dish, and people eat if for breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you like Hummus then you may well enjoy Baba Ganoush!

This dish is found all over the middle-east and in some Mediterranean countries. It’s very easy to make, but the taste can go all the way from horrible to divine – depending mainly on the quality of the ingredients and the proper roasting of the eggplants.

What You Will Need?

FOR THE BABA GANOUSH

• 1 large eggplant
• 1/3 cup of tahini paste (sesame paste)
• 1/2 lime / lemon squeezed
• 1-2 garlic cloves
• 1-2tbs finely chopped parsley or coriander
• Salt & pepper to taste

FOR THE FLAT BREAD

• 180 g self-raising flour , plus extra for dusting
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons of natural or Greek yogurt

GARLIC AND HERB BUTTER / OIL

• 2 cloves of garlic
• Fresh herbs such as parsley, basil, dill, coriander
• 20 g unsalted butter or olive oil
  
  

HOW TO MAKE BABA GANOUSH

• Wash your aubergine and place it directly on the open flame of your cooker. If you have a fire that is even better! If you don't have a gas cooker then you can roast it in the oven or a covered pan. Don't cut or prick holes in the skin. This will preserve the colour and also the taste. If you want to reduce the mess you can cover with some aluminium foil.
  
  
  
  
• Cook for 10 minutes and turn cooking again for a further 10 minutes.
• When the skin is black and charred, and the aubergine feels very soft it is time to remove it from the flame.
  
  
  
  
• Leave to cool down for 10 minutes
  
  
  
  
• Cut in half and allow any juices to drain away for at least half an hour, we don't want these juices!
• Scoop out the soft center using a spoon and discard the black burned skin. It's OK if there are some small black flecks, that adds to the taste!
• Using a knife, chop the aubergine up until there are no long stringy bits left. You don't want to blend this or mash it with a fork as you will lose the texture of a good Baba Ganoush!
  
  
  
  
  
• Add the chopped roasted aubergine in a bowl with the tahini,lemon juice, crushed garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. You can add just a tablespoon or two of water to loosen it up.
  
  
  
  
• Mix well and chill set aside or chill in the fridge if you prefer it cold.

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HOW TO MAKE THE FLAT BREAD

1. Add all the flat-bread ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix together with a spoon, then use clean hands to pat and bring everything together. Do not kneed this dough for too long, just get it into a good doughy texture. One or two minutes is enough.
2. Put aside in a covered bowl and leave for 15 minutes.
   
   
   
   
3. Pat and flatten the dough by hand and then use a rolling pin to roll it to your desired thickness. I love flat-bread nice and thin. Dust with flour when it sticks.
4. If you have a grill pan then this is the time to use it! The taste and texture is always best when grilled!
5. Grill the flat bread for 2 minutes on each side or until there are nice grill marks on it.
6. Brush the garlic oil / butter on each side and cut into small long pieces and serve.
   
   
   

Finally get your Baba Ganoush Ready and put them together with some of your favorite vegetables and you are ready to dip! This is a great dish to share with friends and family around a table with a nice salad.

I hope you ENJOY this as much as I just did!

Now why don't you snack this whilst reading the last chapter of the Remarkable Diary Eco Build ;-)

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