Baba Ganoush

The Method for Baba Ganoush

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1. Prick each aubergine a few times with a fork. Set them directly on a gas burner over a medium flame, or on a very hot barbecue.

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2. Char for 15 to 20 minutes, turning with tongs every few minutes, until the skin is uniformly blackened and blistered and the aubergines have completely collapsed.

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3. If you have only an electric hob, grill them 8 cm from the element for 30 minutes, turning, until the skins are black.

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4. Put the hot aubergines in a bowl, cover, and leave 10 minutes — the steam loosens the skin.

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5. Split them open and scoop out the flesh, discarding the skins and any large seed pockets.

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6. Drain the flesh in a sieve for 20 minutes. A surprising amount of dark bitter liquid comes out.

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7. Chop the drained flesh on a board rather than blending it — baba ganoush should have texture, not be a purée.

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8. Mix with the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt and cumin, then beat in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.

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9. Spread in a shallow bowl, drizzle with the remaining oil and the pomegranate molasses, and scatter with parsley and pomegranate seeds.

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Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.

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What Can Go Wrong

1. Do not skip the flame. Oven-roasted aubergine makes a pleasant dip but it is not baba ganoush.
2. Chop rather than blend. A food processor makes it gluey and pale.
3. Taste for lemon at the end; it usually needs more than you expect.

Changing the Recipe

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

A Little Background

Charring the aubergine directly over a naked flame does two things at once: it collapses the flesh into silk and it deposits phenolic smoke compounds that are the defining flavour. Draining the cooked flesh in a sieve for twenty minutes removes bitter liquid and stops the dip turning to soup.

To Go With It

Arak with ice, or a crisp white · Serve as part of a mezze with hummus and flatbread · Excellent with grilled lamb

Storing Leftovers

Refrigerate 4 days under a film of oil. Serve at room temperature. Freezing is not recommended.

Questions People Ask

Nutrition per Serving

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.

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