Smoky Charred Eggplant Baba Ganoush with Summer Crudités
Blistered eggplant blended smoky and creamy, scooped with crisp raw summer vegetables and olive oil.
Best for A light, vegetable-forward snack that's smoky and satisfying without the calories of a dip built on bread and oil alone.
This is baba ganoush the way it should taste: eggplant charred until the skin blackens and the flesh turns silky, smoky and almost meaty. I whip it with tahini, lemon and a generous thread of good olive oil, then keep it honest by serving it with cold, crunchy summer vegetables instead of bread. It's low-calorie, vegetable on vegetable, and the kind of thing you'll graze on straight from the bowl.
Ingredients
- 2 eggplant , about 1 kg total
- 45 g tahini , well stirred
- 1 lemon , about 30 ml
- 1 garlic cloves , grated to a paste
- 30 ml olive oil , plus a little for drizzling
- 2 g ground cumin
- 4 g fine sea salt , to taste
- 10 g flat-leaf parsley , for finishing
- 1 g smoked paprika , for dusting (optional – can be omitted)
- 30 g pomegranate seeds , for finishing (optional – can be omitted)
- 1 cucumber , cut into batons
- 2 carrots , cut into batons
- 1 red bell pepper , cut into strips
- 6 radishes , halved
Instructions
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1
Char the eggplants directly over a gas flame, under a hot broiler, or on a grill, turning with tongs every few minutes, until the skin is blackened and blistered all over and the flesh has fully collapsed and feels soft when pressed. Don't rush this — the deep char is where the smoke flavor comes from. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
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2
Slit the eggplants open and scoop the soft flesh into a colander, leaving behind the charred skin and any large seed pockets. Let the flesh drain for 10 minutes to shed bitter liquid, then give it a gentle press — a watery dip is a weak dip.
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3
Transfer the drained flesh to a bowl. Add the tahini, lemon juice, grated garlic, cumin and salt. Mash with a fork for a rustic texture, or pulse briefly for something smoother, then beat in the olive oil until glossy and creamy. Taste and adjust salt and lemon.
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4
Spread into a shallow bowl, swirl the surface and drizzle with a little more olive oil. Scatter with parsley and, if using, a dusting of smoked paprika and the pomegranate seeds. Serve at room temperature with the cucumber, carrot, bell pepper and radishes alongside.