Makes 2 cups
Prep time | 10 minutes plus cooling
Cooking time | 5 minutes
The best dining experiences always inspire me to try and recreate the dishes at home. A recent meal in a Lebanese restaurant had me desperate for more of this delicious smoky eggplant dip.
Ingredients
• 3 small or 2 medium eggplants
• ¼ cup tahini*
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• juice 1 lemon (2 tablespoons)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• olive oil, paprika, chopped parsley and chopped tomato to garnish
Tahini
• 1 cup (230g) sesame seeds
• ¼ cup olive oil
Method
1. To get the smoky flavour into the eggplants, sit them directly onto the gas burner on your cooktop. ( If you don’t have a gas cooktop, place the eggplants under a hot grill.)
2. Turn the eggplant regularly, until all the skin is charred and the eggplant soft through. Place into a sink of water to cool. The skin will peel away easily from the flesh. Sit the flesh in a colander for a few minutes to drain.
3. Place the eggplant in the bowl of a food processor with the tahini, garlic, lemon juice and salt. Blend thoroughly, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. The end result will be smooth, creamy and incredibly flavourful.
4. Place in the serving dish and garnish with olive oil, paprika, chopped flat leaf parsley and chopped tomatoes.
Serve with wedges of Lebanese bread.
Tahini
1. This nutty-flavoured sesame paste is used in many Lebanese dishes. If you don’t have any at hand it is simple to make your own!
2. Preheat oven to 160°C. Place the sesame seeds on Glad bake on a baking sheet. Bake for 5-10 minutes, until very lightly golden. Do not allow to darken.
3. Place the sesame seeds in the bowl of a mini food processor with the olive oil, and blend, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally, until completely smooth. This takes a few minutes. Keep the tahini in an airtight container or jar in the fridge. It will last for weeks.
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