Baba Ghannüge

The ultimate aubergine or eggplant dip

Baba Ghannüge in Lebanon and Mutabbal in Syria, or vice versa depending on where you are, this dip is basically the same in both countries. Aubergines or eggplants are charred over an open flame to give the dip its distinctive smoky flavour, before the roasted flesh is mashed by hand, then mixed with tahini, minced garlic and lemon juice, salt of course and served.

However, one step that many cookbook writers or chefs seem to be missing is the draining of the grilled flesh before mashing it. This gets rid of the excess liquid and makes the dip not only more intense but also less watery.

In Lebanon, most people grill the aubergines over an open wood or charcoal fire or over a gas burner so that the skin burns and as a result, the cooked flesh becomes very smoky so that it imparts quite a lovely smoky flavour to the dip.

In the video below, I am making the dip at my friends Mei and John’s house in Berkeley, explaining to Mei how to first prick the aubergines before putting them over the fire so that they don’t burst, then peeling, draining and mashing before adding the tahini, lemon juice, garlic and salt.

If you are not a paid subscriber, you will find the recipe in my latest book, Lebanon, Cooking the Foods of my Homeland, published by Ecco in the US and in August by Bloomsbury in the UK with a different subtitle which is ‘A Culinary Celebration’.