Baba ghanoush
بابا غنوج
Smoky eggplant, tahini and lemon — the mezze that should taste of fire, not of a steamed vegetable.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: بابا غنوج.
0 people cooked this in the public kitchen yet. Kitchen-tested by I Want Some Food. Not a purchased rating.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Cheap nightUnder $8 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Baba ghanoush is eggplant blistered until the flesh collapses and tastes of smoke, then mixed with tahini, lemon and garlic. If you boil the eggplant, you made a pale puree. Some houses skip tahini (moutabal is the tahini cousin in some naming systems — people argue). We use tahini and say so.
Ingredients
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Blister eggplants over a flame or at 230°C until collapsed and black, 35–40 minutes. Steam in a bowl, peel.
40 minStep 2
Mash with tahini, lemon, garlic and salt. Oil. Do not puree it into baby food unless you prefer that.
Adapt this recipe
The canonical recipe stays intact. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are maths, not AI.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 24 August.
Substitutions
Open flame → A ripping-hot oven
Less smoke, still a dip.
Tips
- A drop of pomegranate molasses is a house flourish.
- Salt the flesh in a sieve 10 minutes if it weeps too much.
History & culture
Mezze. Also the thing you make when eggplants are cheap and you have a gas hob.
Cooked eggplant and tahini are Levantine table furniture. The name wandered.
Traditional
Provenance: Editorial adaptation. Original editorial adaptation for I Want Some Food. Not copied from another recipe site. Official recipe photography is pending. Photograph: gran via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Baba%20ghanoush%20prep.jpg
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips — not a chatbot.
How long does Baba ghanoush take?
50 min all in — 10 min prep, 40 min cook. That is the time on this recipe, not a guess.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 4 bowls. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Easy.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Sesame. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Vegetarian, Vegan.
What does it cost to cook?
Cheap night — about Under $8 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Oven, Mixing bowl.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 1 tsp.
What can I use instead?
Open flame → A ripping-hot oven. Less smoke, still a dip.
Any tips from this recipe?
A drop of pomegranate molasses is a house flourish. Salt the flesh in a sieve 10 minutes if it weeps too much.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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