Smoky Baba Ganoush With Sumac

Baba Ganoush and falafel are a match made in Middle Eastern heaven, try it with my Falafel Salad Bowl for a meat-free meal. For me, there is something very nostalgic about eggplants or aubergines as they are called in the UK, and in particular eggplant dips. My appreciation of the purple vegetable stems from childhood when my mother would make a Russian recipe known as eggplant caviar. If you prefer your eggplant with tomato, this is definitely one to try.

What is it?

In Arabic, Baba Ganoush means “spoiled daddy” and once you’ve tasted this opulent eggplant dish, you’ll get why “daddy” was “spoiled”. Not that it should be reserved for the head of the household only! This roasted and charred eggplant dip was designed to be shared. Blended with tahini, lemon and garlic, Baba Ganoush is served as a stand alone dip, or one of a selection on a mezze platter. Although it’s commonly known by its Arabic name, I recently enjoyed this dish in Israel and the chances are if you’ve visited Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt or Iran you will have been served the same dish under another name. There is so much eggplant love in that part of the world!

Baba Ganoush vs hummus

In a battle of Levantine dips who will be the victor and take their place at the table? Let’s compare:

Both Arabic in name and origin. Both vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free. Both creamy, no cream dips that are easy to prepare. Both at home as a starter, snack or side. Both exquisitely delicious and moreish.

However:

Hummus is a heavy-hitter in the protein stakes. The big BG is lower in cals.

But do we really have to choose? There’s room on the mezze platter for the two, wouldn’t you say?

Serving suggestions

It’s not called a dip for nothing! Our favourites are warm flatbread, tortilla chips or crudités for dunking into this cool customer. Try rice cakes if you’re gluten free, or breadsticks if you’re on-the-go. As well as a dip it’s a spread; alone on crusty bread, with chicken or bacon in sandwiches or wraps, even on burger buns with a juicy lamb burger. It’s a condiment, for grilled meats like chicken souvlaki. An accompaniment for roasted vegetables or a salad bowl. It’s the vegetable sauce that keeps on giving. I also love adding it to a warm brunch. I made my Sweet Potato Hash with Halloumi and Baba Ganoush with this in mind!

Storage and leftovers

Get ahead of your mezze game by prepping this in advance. Not only will it keep well in an airtight container for up to 4 days, the flavours will meld and develop taking it up a level in garlicky intensity.