Baba Ganoush

It is an appetizer from the Levant, a region covering the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. In our country, this region covers only Hatay.

Since I just came back from the Hatay tour, I wanted to share with you this appetizer, which I love very much and which I have made and researched many times.

It was a very nice trip. Hatay, the cradle of culture, history and the history of religions, also embraced us with its food. The richness of his culture was reflected in the variety of appetizers on his table.

In fact, this flavor explosion of roasted eggplant and tahini is tightly bound together with yogurt, lemon, spices and olive oil. And when roasted bell pistachios and pistachios come on top, it is very rich and crispy. It is crowned with pistachios and carried to a different dimension. Especially with the sourdough pita bread and vegetables I made at home, it became a special dip. You can serve it to your guests as an appetizer at the table or you can serve it as a dip before the meal.

If you want to make eggplant salad with yogurt without tahini, I recommend doubling the amount of yogurt. Of course, you can add more according to your taste.

Ingredients: :(1 glass = 250 ml) , for 6-8 people

3 large eggplants

1/2 cup tahini

2 tablespoons of strained yogurt

2 cloves of garlic (cooked in a pan and crushed)

1/3 cup lemon juice

1.5 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika

olive oil

salt and black pepper

for the top:

1.5 tbsp chopped pistachios

3 tablespoons roasted bell pistachios

chopped parsley

Preparation

1. First of all, let’s wash the eggplants and put them in a heated pan to roast by making holes all over. Let’s cook it until it is well roasted.
2. Meanwhile, we can prepare the other ingredients. After roasting the pistachios in olive oil and setting them aside, I roasted the garlic in the same pan so that it would be easier for our stomach to digest. I also prepared the other ingredients on the list:
3. Put the roasted eggplants in a strainer with a container underneath to drain the black water. Let’s wait 30 minutes.
4. Remove the skins of the cooled eggplants by hand and crush them with the help of a knife and fork after separating the core parts.
5. Add salt and black pepper (the amount is according to taste) and other ingredients to the mashed eggplants and mix with a fork.
6. Finally, let’s put it on a serving plate (2 portions) and decorate it with pistachios and crumbled parsley. Pour good quality olive oil.