MTABBAL BATINJAN (BABA GHANNOUJ)

What is a nice spread of mezze without mtabbal batinjan? Also known as baba ghannouj it is next best favourite after hommos bi tahini in every Arabic restaurant around the world. Everybody loves it! I can’t resist the sight of this beautiful dish topped with pomegranate seeds without digging in immediately, mostly by scooping it with freshly baked Arabic bread.

Texture and Taste

The secret of mtabbal batinjan is its distinctive smoky flavour. To achieve the latter, one needs to charr the skin of the aubergine. The best way to do so is of course, on an open fire like on a gas stove or on hot coals. As I can’t broil it on my electric stove, I broil aubergines halves in the oven. The result is quite the same. Nevertheless, I never miss the chance to charr aubergines when we barbecue!

Once aubergines are charred the flesh becomes very soft. However, be careful not to over burn the skin and end up with very little flesh! Immediately remove the aubergines from your source of heat and let cool a little. After that you can remove the charred skin or use a spoon to scrape out the flesh. Mashed in the tahini-lemony dressing, mtabbal batinjan is a creamy dip with distinctive nutty and bright flavours.

Cooking Classes

My German students being sceptical about the “burning” process are usually satisfied with the soft flesh and save their aubergines from the oven before I have the chance to control that! If I am lucky and not busy somewhere else, I catch them while committing their little crime. If I am late, we have their version of the aubergine dip, less smoky yet palatable!

Dina Kohl

Mtabbal Batinjan

Creamy Aubergine dip

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Mezze, Starter

Cuisine: Lebanese

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 2 Aubergines around 800 g, rinsed, dried and cut in half lengthwise
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2-3 tablespoons tahini
• ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
• 1 chopped tomato 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley, 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil to garnish
• Pomegranate seeds to garnish

Method

 

1. Set the oven on broil. Brush the aluminium foil with one tablespoon oil and lay the Aubergine cut side down onto the baking sheet pan. Broil for about 40 minutes, or until they are soft. The skin may become charred but that will impart a distinctive taste.
2. Take out of the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Peel the aubergine carefully and put them into a colander to cool. Mash them with a fork in the bowl, and then add the lemon juice, the tahini, the garlic and the salt and mix well until smooth. Adjust to taste if required.
3. Spread the mtabbal batinjan evenly in the platter, and with the back of a spoon push it up the sides to form a dip all the way round. Place the chopped tomatoes in a little mound in the centre. Drizzle the olive oil in the dipped part and garnish with the parsley.

Notes

All images and text © Dina Bayoud Kohl