Here we go another eggplant recipe from me ;-), my siblings will probably have a witty comment about me and my aubergine love when they see this post. I had a couple of eggplants sitting in my fridge, and I was going to make my good old standby dish, when I remembered that I haven’t made this particular dip in months.
My dad likes to make mutabbal a lot, just like how he makes hummus fairly often. I love his shortcut of charring and microwaving the eggplant, it speeds up the process, and you have the dip ready in under 20 minutes. He would generally serve this with lamb chops and pita bread, yum!
I’m not sure what the difference is between Mutabbal and Baba ghanoush. Some people claim one has yogurt and molasses while the other doesn’t. I think it depends on who makes it, which town you eat it in and who you talk to, but the base ingredients are the same – roasted eggplant, tahini, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil – you can’t really go wrong with that.
I like to serve it with some olive oil, pomegranate seeds and chopped parsley. The pomegranate seeds are optional, of course, but give it a burst of freshness and a nice crunchy bite. Serve the mutabbal with pita bread or crackers, and grilled meats for a delicious and smoky side dish.
Here’s how it’s made :
1. Char two medium or one large eggplant on an open flame for 3-4 minutes, turning it over to get a good char on all sides.
2. Place the eggplant in a microwave safe plate, and microwave it for 8 minutes. Once done, let it sit for 5 minutes.
3. Peel the skin, and mash the eggplant with a knife.
4. In a blender or food processor, add in the mashed eggplant, 2 cloves of grated garlic, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1/4 cup olive oil, 3 tbsp tahini and 3/4 tsp salt. Blend until smooth.
5. Transfer to a serving dish, and serve room temperature or cold.
