Anyone who has visited one of the Asian countries at least once has an idea of what Babaganush is. The recipe for this dish is familiar to every oriental chef. Young housewives, in order to fill the gap in their knowledge, may try to cook this original dish using one of the recipes described below.
Fragrant Appetizer
In the East and in many countries of the Mediterranean, every girl knows how to make babaganush. The recipe for its preparation is passed from mother to daughter, taking into account local traditions and personal taste preferences. In fact, this is an appetizer in the form of a liquid paste or sauce that can be spread on bread or toast. There are many different options for its preparation. But all of them should have in their composition two main ingredients: eggplant and sesame seed paste (tahini). Each house has its own way to cook babaganush. The recipe may include the following components: 2 eggplant, a little greens (cilantro and parsley), two tablespoons of lemon juice and olive oil, a couple of cloves of garlic, spices (salt, ground coriander and black pepper), black sesame as a decoration, and for tahini, you need 100 grams of ordinary sesame seeds and 35 grams of vegetable oil.
In this case, it all starts with vegetables:
- Washed eggplant should be placed on a baking sheet covered with parchment and baked in an oven, which is heated to 200 degrees, for about half an hour. During this time, the products should become soft so that the knife easily penetrates inside.
- You can spend your free time making tahini. To do this, sesame seeds must be crushed in a blender, and then mixed with oil.
- Free the baked eggplant from the peel, and then grind it with mashed lemon juice, adding garlic.
- Combine both cooked mixes.
Before serving, “babaganush” should be laid out on a plate, pour plenty of oil, sprinkle with black sesame seeds and decorate with greens.
Original combination
In many African countries they also love babaganush. The recipe for its preparation has changed a bit these days. In modern families often use the following set of products: 2 eggplant 2 pcs. bell pepper, 2 tablespoons of any yogurt, olive oil, juice of half a lemon, a tablespoon of sesame seeds, salt, 3 cloves of garlic, ½ teaspoon of coriander and zira, black pepper and a bunch of parsley.
Furthermore, the cooking process is as follows:
- Eggplant and pepper are baked over an open fire so that the flesh acquires a pleasant aroma of smoke. To do this, they can be put on the grill in the oven or sent to the grill.
- After 20 minutes, the products can already be reached.
- After that, they must be removed from the peel, and then chop the inside of the eggplant with a knife, and cut the pepper into cubes.
- Mix the ingredients with yogurt, lemon juice, herbs and garlic.
- Mash the sesame seeds in a mortar and then season with salt, zira, pepper and oil.
Combining the prepared compounds, let the mixture stand for a while.
Unusual option
For lovers of thrills, you can offer a not quite standard version of Babaganush pasta. A recipe with a photo in this case will be especially useful - it will help to control each stage of the process.
The following components will be required for operation:
- 4 tomatoes 2 eggplant, 3 cloves of garlic, half a chili pepper, 3 tablespoons of thick yogurt and lemon juice, a bunch of greens (basil, dill, parsley) and 5 tablespoons of olive oil.
The work takes place in several stages:
- First, you need to bake vegetables for 20 minutes in the oven, lubricating them with vegetable oil. You can use a microwave if you wish. At the same time, cooking time will be significantly reduced. It will take no more than 9 minutes. After cooling, the products will need to be completely peeled.
- First, grind the washed greens in a blender with garlic.
- Then add alternately all other ingredients. Eggplant with pepper must be introduced last.
- On the table, the finished product is best served in a wide plate, pouring it with yogurt or oil.
This appetizer will be a great addition to any meat. Although the locals are used, mainly, to eat it with bread (pita bread).
Popular way
In Australia, too, cook babaganush eggplant. The recipe, however, is slightly different from that used by oriental culinary specialists. Here, it is customary to take as starting ingredients:
- 1 large eggplant half a clove of garlic, one and a half tablespoons of vegetable oil, a quarter of a teaspoon of caraway powder, juice 1/3 of an average lemon, a tablespoon of finished tahini paste, a little feather onion (or parsley) and pomegranate seeds.
Prepare a famous snack using the usual technology:
- First, the eggplant is baked in the oven, liberally lubricated with oil. After that, it is laid on the grill and left to cool, making a large incision with a knife.
- All components are connected together. According to the rules, this should be done with a fork, but now housewives are increasingly using a blender. First, eggplant, tahini, garlic, caraway seeds and lemon juice are taken. After that, spices and herbs are added. Oil is usually poured directly into the plate over the finished mass.
For decoration, chopped greens and grains of a quarter of pomegranate are used. On the table, such a dish looks very picturesque.
On the advice of a professional
In a slightly different way, the popular babaganush is prepared according to the recipe of David Leibovitz. The famous cookbook author uses a not-so-ordinary combination of ingredients.
For 2 medium-sized eggplants, he takes the same amount of chili pepper and cloves of garlic, the juice of one small lemon, a pinch of caraway seeds, salt, as well as one and a half tablespoons of sesame paste and olive oil.
The way the appetizer is prepared is not much different from the previous options:
- The first step is washed and dried eggplant baked in the oven for half an hour. They must first be pricked with a fork in several places.
- While baking, tahini must be separately mixed with lemon juice. It is necessary to achieve such a concentration that both components simply complement each other.
- Crush caraway seeds with salt, garlic and chili separately in a mortar.
- Combine both mixtures, and then add oil and finely chopped mint.
- Grind the eggplant pulp with a fork, and then combine all the ingredients.
To the table, the dish is served in a salad bowl and is used with fresh pita bread.
Tender sauce
Some experts consider the popular dish not an appetizer, but just a sauce, which is also called "babaganush". The recipe for this product can be simplified as much as possible. All you need is eggplant, yogurt, garlic, tahini paste, salt and lemon juice.
The whole process consists of two stages:
- First, the eggplants are baked for 50 minutes on a baking sheet in the oven. They must first be cut into pieces. After this, the products should cool naturally. This will take about 15 minutes.
- All components are loaded into a food processor and mixed until they turn into a plastic homogeneous mass.
Put the finished sauce on a plate, and then garnish with chopped parsley and ground red pepper. Along with aromatic pasta, it is customary to serve toasts. In principle, it can also be spread on fresh bread. Here, everyone already chooses for himself the most convenient way to use.
Traditional option
In Turkey, a slightly different idea of cooking pasta "babaganush". The classic recipe used by local chefs includes the following essential ingredients.
2 large eggplants require 40 milliliters of olive oil, 75 grams of peeled walnuts, a little salt, 30 milliliters of lemon juice and a glass of yogurt.
Prepare a popular snack as follows:
- First, fresh eggplant must be grilled. They should become softer and acquire a light aroma of smoke. If the house does not have such a device, then you can simply use the oven. To prevent vegetables from exploding when heated, they must first be pierced with a knife or fork.
- Using a tablespoon, remove the pulp from the cooled vegetables, and then mix it with the prepared ingredients.
- For flavor, a little mayonnaise and chopped cilantro can be added to the paste.
Before serving, the finished product will only be decorated with nuts. During the meal, they will pleasantly complement the already quite delicate taste of the original appetizer. This is optional, but can be used as an option.