Aug 18th, 2010 by ++Mira++ | 4 Comments
Remember the Baba Ghanoush I made last week? Well, what I’m posting about is what the west considers as Baba Ghanoush. In Lebanon, we call it Mutabal. Just wanted to be clear on the two. I don’t care what you call either, because they are both YUMMY!
Now, you prepare the eggplant like I did in the baba ghanouj post. I still prefer grilling the eggplant if possible to give a smoky taste, but its good to just pop em in the oven and make a bunch for a big batch. You can easily freeze the rest too.
What you need for the Mutabal:
- 1 eggplant
- 1 clove garlic
- 4 Tb tahini
- 1 lemon
- olive oil
And thats it! Can you believe something so yummy is so simple.
Add the garlic and lemon.
I decided to use an immersion blender. Most people use a blender.
Add the tahini.
and blend blend blend. Salt to taste, and also add more tahini or lemon as you like. Its very forgiving.
You drizzle olive oil on top, and garnish with paprika and parsley.
Now, try making that and tell me you don’t love me. 🙂
Aug 4th, 2010 by ++Mira++ | 3 Comments
Little arabic lesson, Baba Ganoush, really pronounced “Ghannouj”, is literally translated as “father cute”. Don’t ask. I have no idea why.lol.
I have one issue with the western adaptation of this dish. Baba Ghanoush and Mutabal are often mixed up and interchanged. They are very similar dishes, but are distinctly different. Baba Ghanough contains no tahini whatsoever, while Mutabal does. It is frequently Mutabal that is refered to as “baba ghanoush” in the west.
SO, I decided to introduce you to the REAL Baba Ghanoush. Very simple recipe. Completely vegetarian/vegan, healthy, and quick. Best part is it holds up well in the fridge and you can enjoy it for several days…mine is usually gone before it even cools 🙂
It is best served cold. And I think the eggplant is one of the least utilized veggies, so here it is, an ode to you my aubergine friend!
First, you start by repeatedly stabbing ur eggplant friend…all over…way to start off a friend ship
Next, place in preheated oven at 350F for about an hour or till tender. Don’t cover it or put any oil or anything. Simply pop them in after stabbing em.
Now the traditional way calls for burning over an open flame on the stove, but this is far too messy for me, as it requires you to put it directly on the stove top flame. If you have a maid (i don’t), then go for it.lol. Otherwise, into the oven they go. The only negative is you don’t get the smoky flavor.
Pull em out when they are as wrinkly as your grandmothers buttocks. Sorry, too much?
Then, carefuly peel off the skin(after it cooled), keeping the flesh intact. If you have cooked this enough, then it should be fairly easy. 
I like to take out the seeds, just simply pull out the ‘sacks’.
Now this is VERY important. Grab the eggplant between your plams and squeeze. SQUEEEZE. You will be surprised how much water comes out. Keep doing it till barely any comes out. If you don’t you will end up with a soggy mess.
After, just roughly dice it all up. I like it chunky.
Other ingredients you need:
- 1 tomatoe
- 1/2 onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 lemon
- olive oil
- salt
Crush garlic, and squeeze the lemon into the eggplant. Add salt. Mix. It should be really lemony to be good.
Top with the tomatoe, then the onion. Then drizzle with olive oil. You can add mint or parsely.
Then guess what happened? PACMAN decided to join.
Sorry, i’m a nerd. I couldn’t help it.
So basically this is delicious and I ate it all then licked the plate. Your turn to eat real Baba Ghanoush.Ok? Ready, set, GO!
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