Troubleshooting Baba Ghanouj

[foodietraveler]

Mom says not too much garlic at all. It kiss baba. Not the same thing. Baba is about balance she says and best Syrian chefs spend lots of time roasting eggplant carefully.

Garlic can be rough on tongue she says, and raw garlic even more. They use raw garlic and so use little. Lebanese do same thing in Lebanon. She has not eaten much Lebanese or Syrian food in America, always cooking for me and my non-indian friends, food from India when she visits.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Death by Garlic!

When you've added enough raw garlic to knock you on your ass, add a little more. And Carolyn, no offense, but roasted garlic is an abomination in babaganouj.

I'm not offended -- I use the roasted garlic when I'm making it for wimps, but I also have raw garlic in it as well. I think I started doing the roasted garlic thing when garlic-mashed potatoes became the rage and roasting garlic was getting added to EVERYTHING.

I completely agree with you and when I'm making it for myself, I only use raw garlic.... lots and lots of raw garlic.

[NancyH]

This discussion is a fascinating example of what my friend on this list - Jo-Mel, refers to as the delights of Mom's meatloaf - everyone's mom makes it a little differently, but one is usually not "better" than another - they are all just different.

Sounds like you should use a lot of garlic in your baba if you really like garlic, otherwise use less. Charring the eggplant whole until it is black is something I never knew about, though; if we ever get any eggplant in our garden, I will definitely try it!

[chappie]

Well this morning I fired up the Weber with hardwood charcoal and put many of your suggestions to work. I halved four medium/large eggplants and started open-side down, charring the flesh, then flipped them over and allowed them to cook for 20 minutes or so until completely gooey and soft.

This time, I didn't squeeze out all the liquid, and after tasting it, wonder why so many recipes call for doing so. I did what one of you suggested and mashed everything by hand (including one whopping clove of elephant garlic, which I made into a paste with kosher salt).

I added just one lemon, a big spoonful of tahini, some kosher salt, fresh parsley and a splash of fruity olive oil.

The result is a much looser, juicier baba ghanouj with distinct smoky flavor and dark bits of charred flesh (and a few small bits of skin I couldn't separate out). It's slightly chunky, not the homogenous spread the Cuisinart turns out (though that had its own appeal...). The garlic seems just right: defitely a flavor component but doesn't distract from the eggplant's taste.

This seems how it should be, though I doubt it is what my friend had in Atlanta (his first criticism of my old batch was that it tasted "just like eggplant spread"). And by the way, I emailed him and his source wasn't a Lebanese market but rather ... well, here's his exact words, with a description.

I used to eat the good baba at a place called "Mediterranean Grill" in Decatur. Now that you mention it, there was a strong smoky flavor to theirs as

well, but still had a "creamier" flavor than your mashed eggplant.

[petite tête de chou]

Well this morning I fired up the Weber with hardwood charcoal and put many of your suggestions to work. I halved four medium/large eggplants and started open-side down, charring the flesh, then flipped them over and allowed them to cook for 20 minutes or so until completely gooey and soft.

This time, I didn't squeeze out all the liquid, and after tasting it, wonder why so many recipes call for doing so. I did what one of you suggested and mashed everything by hand (including one whopping clove of elephant garlic, which I made into a paste with kosher salt).

I added just one lemon, a big spoonful of tahini, some kosher salt, fresh parsley and a splash of fruity olive oil.

The result is a much looser, juicier baba ghanouj with distinct smoky flavor and dark bits of charred flesh (and a few small bits of skin I couldn't separate out). It's slightly chunky, not the homogenous spread the Cuisinart turns out (though that had its own appeal...). The garlic seems just right: defitely a flavor component but doesn't distract from the eggplant's taste.

This seems how it should be, though I doubt it is what my friend had in Atlanta (his first criticism of my old batch was that it tasted "just like eggplant spread"). And by the way, I emailed him and his source wasn't a Lebanese market but rather ... well, here's his exact words, with a description.

I used to eat the good baba at a place called "Mediterranean Grill" in Decatur. Now that you mention it, there was a strong smoky flavor to theirs as

well, but still had a "creamier" flavor than your mashed eggplant.

What about pureeing one quarter or half of the mixture (much as one does with some soups) to attain that creamy texture?

[bloviatrix]

In one of her books, Claudia Rhoden suggests pulling out as many of the seeds as possible. What about trying that?

[chappie]

In one of her books, Claudia Rhoden suggests pulling out as many of the seeds as possible. What about trying that?

I wonder if I could run the flesh through some sort of sieve that would catch the seeds. I'll try it in my pursuit of the perfect baba ghanouj, but I don't seem to mind them, and I wonder why someone would go through the trouble to remove them.

Reminds me of recipes that call for seeding tomatoes. I can't ever think of a moment when tomato seeds ruined a meal.

By the time I get this thing perfect, summer will be over, the farmers' market will be out of eggplants and I'll be ready to get back to stewing.

[ludja]

And, if you want to put in a little extra effort to make the best babaganouj possible, I highly recommend getting your tahini from a Middle Eastern market. It's only a subtle improvement but it is better than the stuff you find in your average supermarket.

I agree wtih the importanice of getting good tahini.

Some brands have a very off taste and can really take away from the final dish. I made a nearly side-by-side comparison last summer after a first batch was disappointing. The new tahini made a big difference.

I don't have tips on getting better tahini though--we happen to have a Middle East grocery nearby and were able to get some better stuff there. (can taste a little of the tahini plain and compare to see the difference)

[SobaAddict70]

When you char your eggplants, do you use the blowtorch method? Or just sit them on a gas or propane grill?

I thought I'd seen everything once a friend recently admitted to me that she prefers the blowtorch method. Lends new meaning to "improvisation".

Soba

[chappie]

I charred them directly over hardwood coals. As for tahini, I've been buying the jars at Trader Joe's, which use organic, hulled seeds. The price is right (like most items at TJs) and it's very good.

[foodietraveler]

We char eggplant whole. It takes some time, but really is best way. The inside gets cooked, but not contaminated with too much char.

The skin gets totally black, you will have to use heavy spoons and spatula to handle if you are using grill... I often do it on stove top... sometimes in toaster oven.

Key is to do slow charring.

The inside gets very soft.

The creamy-ness is controlled by how much tahini you add.

Eggplant that has been charred long and carefully mashes easily with a wooden spoon.

And is not too chunky at all, only as chunky or mashed as you want it to be.

I once tried charring eggplan after cutting it. Not the same end result.

[HKDave]

A 'secret ingredient' in many Middle Eastern dishes is sumac. I've seen it in a few Baba G. recipes, and it's often what gets sprinkled on top as a garnish. It's a reddish powder, looks like cayenne, but tastes completely different.

I confess to using both roasted and raw garlic in my baba g. I roast Japanese eggplants (the only kind I can get here) in the oven, and I don't squeeze out the water or remove seeds, that's not needed. Tahini, lemon j., EVOO, sea salt, maybe a pinch of cumin. Granish w/sumac (impossible to get in Hong Kong but I bought some last time I was overseas) and parsley.

[foodietraveler]

A 'secret ingredient' in many Middle Eastern dishes is sumac. I've seen it in a few Baba G. recipes, and it's often what gets sprinkled on top as a garnish. It's a reddish powder, looks like cayenne, but tastes completely different.

I confess to using both roasted and raw garlic in my baba g. I roast Japanese eggplants (the only kind I can get here) in the oven, and I don't squeeze out the water or remove seeds, that's not needed. Tahini, lemon j., EVOO, sea salt, maybe a pinch of cumin. Granish w/sumac (impossible to get in Hong Kong but I bought some last time I was overseas) and parsley.

we never remove seeds or water either. I think slow cooking make all difference and you can skip the step.

I like a garnish of parsley also. And sumac or bahaar (Lebanese) are used traditionally.

Mom being Indian was happy using cumin, but she always maintained most home chefs do not use it.

[scott123]

I'm going to echo foodietraveler on the creamyness/tahini connection. I don't know how big your spoonful is, but I'd recommend a heaping spoonful for each eggplant. That should thicken everything a bit as well.

[Adam Balic]

With plentiful summer eggplants I've been making what I thought was pretty good baba ghanouj: roast them, squeeze as much liquid as I can out of the flesh with cheesecloth, and puree in food processor with lemon juice, tahini, olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika and a dash of cayenne.

Not sure what roast means exactly, so forgive me it this is repetitive. What I have seen done is the eggplants are charred whole on an open flame (is this what you mean by roast?), not sliced etc. Then it is rested and the char wiped off, not washed. Then it is squeezed etc. The rest is pretty much as you describe. I have found that the brand of Tahini makes a difference, some just are not that good.

[Sam Salmon]

Strictly a personal observation-Elephant Garlic is not real Garlic- a pale shadow at best.

[Jason Perlow]

Strictly a personal observation-Elephant Garlic is not real Garlic- a pale shadow at best.

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Elephant Garlic is a type of Shallot. its not garlicky at all. You never want to use this in place of garlic in something like babaghanoush.

[chappie]

Not sure what roast means exactly, so forgive me it this is repetitive. What I have seen done is the eggplants are charred whole on an open flame (is this what you mean by roast?), not sliced etc. Then it is rested and the char wiped off, not washed. Then it is squeezed etc.

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So does this mean you are including the skins in the Baba Ghanouj? Otherwise, if it weren't sliced, I don't see why the char would need to be wiped off if you were just scooping out the flesh, which wouldn't have been charred this way.

About elephant garlic, I don't buy it; my girlfriend picked it up and it's all I had. The batch tastes ok with it, though.

Also, about how long should Baba Ghanouj keep safely in the refrigerator?

[FoodMan]

Here’s my basic Baba Ghanooj recipe/method:

-Roast a whole large eggplant (skin on), preferably on a charcoal grill. This is what gives it a smoky flavor, I seriously doubt the Lebanese restaurant you were at actually smoked the eggplant. Make sure you prick a few holes in it with a fork before roasting/grilling. Roast until it is very soft, you can tell by squeezing it gently with a pair of tongs.

- When it is cooked through let the eggplant cool to a manageable temperature, then peel the skin off or simply cut in half and scrape the flesh out.

-The rest of the ingredients are pretty much to taste, you can add more or less of them. I like to throw in 2 garlic cloves in the food processor first and chop them up with a few turns, then add the eggplant flesh and process some more. Now add a few tablespoons of tahini (maybe ¼ cup), be careful with this, you do not want it to be overpowering and you can always add more later. Last goes in lemon juice, cumin (about a teaspoon), and salt, all to taste but I like mine on the tangy side. Process till the mixture is nice and smooth.

-Serve garnished with chopped parsley, a few dashes of paprika or cayenne and drizzled with virgin olive oil.

Sorry I have no exact amounts but it really is very simple to make.

If you omit the tahini sauce and add olive oil, then you have “the poor man’s caviar” another excellent eggplant dish.

Like Jason and many others said, a strong raw garlic taste is essential as is a cumin...for me at least. To give it an extra dimension add some pomegranate molasses isntead of lemon juice.

Elie

[Adam Balic]

So does this mean you are including the skins in the Baba Ghanouj? Otherwise, if it weren't sliced, I don't see why the char would need to be wiped off if you were just scooping out the flesh, which wouldn't have been charred this way.

About elephant garlic, I don't buy it; my girlfriend picked it up and it's all I had. The batch tastes ok with it, though.

Also, about how long should Baba Ghanouj keep safely in the refrigerator?

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Chappie - Elie has given an excellent description of making Baba Ghanouj. But, to clear up a few points from my post. Basically you put the whole eggplant directly onto the gas ring and turn it until is is completely charred. The ourside with be crisp and black. This is the skin and it wipes off easily. The flesh underneath is magically unburnt. So no scooping. The same thing can be done for tomatoes and peppers, un-suprisingly they are all closely related.

As for Elephant garlic Allium ampeloprasum. It belongs to the same species as leeks and a whole bunch of other allium (it's not a "garlic" or a "shallot"), but belongs to a different grouping (Elephant garlic= Allium ampeloprasum. Ampeloprasum group, Leeks=Allium ampeloprasum. Porrum group). Its proberly to0 mild for this type of thing as mentioned, but it is very nice pickled.

[scott123]

Regarding the brand of tahini - it's better to buy a lower quality brand that's very fresh than a top name that's been on the shelves for a while. As with all nut butters, time and inproper storage/handling are it's enemies. Middle Eastern grocery tahini tends to be vastly superior not because they start off with better sesame seeds or utilize some special processing. It's just very fresh due to the high turnover. Dusty old tahini will be bad regardless of the brand.

[scubadoo97]

I agree wtih the importanice of getting good tahini. 

Some brands have a very off taste and can really take away from the final dish.  I made a nearly side-by-side comparison last summer after a first batch was disappointing.  The new tahini made a big difference. 

I don't have tips on getting better tahini though--we happen to have a Middle East grocery nearby and were able to get some better stuff there.  (can taste a little of the tahini plain and compare to see the difference)

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Before reading these post the tahini was my first thought to why it didn't taste right. I have had tahini from many origins and they all taste different. I agree try to get it from a Middle East market and try to get the lebanese one. Age of tahini is also important since it goes rancid quickly. If the market has good turn over you should be getting something pretty fresh. All ingredients need to be fresh and the eggplant charred.