Smoky Baba Ghanoush with Charred Aubergine, Tahini and Lemon
Inspired by techniques from NYT Cooking and America's Test Kitchen.
Whole aubergines are charred until completely soft, drained, chopped and whisked into a lemon-garlic base with tahini, a little yoghurt and olive oil.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Char the aubergines. Prick each aubergine 6 times. Grill on a foil-lined tray as close to a very hot grill as possible, or turn over a gas flame or barbecue, for 30-40 minutes, turning every 10 minutes, until blackened and completely soft.
- 2
Drain. Put the aubergines in a colander and leave for 20 minutes to cool and drain off the bitter juices.
- 3
Mellow the garlic. Meanwhile stir the lemon juice, garlic and salt together in the bowl.
- 4
Chop. Split the aubergines, scoop out the flesh and discard the skin and stems. Chop the flesh finely and add it to the bowl.
- 5
Mix. Whisk in the tahini, yoghurt and 2 tbsp oil. Leave 20 minutes for the flavours to blend, then add more lemon to taste.
- 6
Serve. Spread in a shallow bowl, drizzle with the remaining oil and scatter with parsley. Serve with warm pita.
Storage
Keep covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. Do not leave out for more than 2 hours. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
EU nutrition claims
- Low sugars: 4.2 g sugars per 100 g (limit ≤ 5 g)
- Source of fibre: 2.9 g fibre per 100 kcal (needs ≥ 1.5 g)
Per 100 g of the finished dish, worked out from the nutrition per serving and the lowest likely cooked weight (about 107 g a serving), so the true values are, if anything, lower. Thresholds from the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Free sugars
0.1 g per serving
0.2 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 0.4 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- grill or gas hob, or an oven with a grill
- foil-lined baking tray
- tongs
- colander
- medium bowl
- sharp knife and chopping board
- spoon and whisk
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 153 kcal |
| Protein | 3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 9.7 g |
| of which sugars | 4.5 g |
| of which free sugars | 0.1 g |
| Fat | 12.5 g |
| of which saturates | 1.8 g |
| Fibre | 4.5 g |
| Salt | 0.77 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
2 g High Protein needs ≥ 5 g (20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
