Have you ever tried baba ganoush and thought. How do I make baba ganoush? In case you thought it is difficult, my friends, I am here to tell you that you only need to “roast” the aubergine anyway you can and then mix it with all the other ingredients! That’s how simple it is! You do not even need a blender if you have a mortar and pestle!
What is baba ganoush?
Baba ganoush is a Levantine appetizer, that has become very popular. It is basically roasted (or broiled) aubergine mashed or blended with garlic, tahini, salt, pepper and optionally other spices. We found that it goes very well with coriander!
It is usually combined with vegetables such as carrot sticks, radish, celery, or perhaps pita bread or us personally enjoy it with sourdough bread or crackers!
How does it taste? Very creamy, a little bit tangy due to the lemon juice/tahini and it feels so filling that you would think it has a lot of fat! but in fact, it is one of our favorite low-calorie food!
I also use it as a side with some dishes like cauliflower rice or scrambled tofu and I find it amazing!
Baba Ganoush calories per 100g
There are around 170 calories for every 100g on “standard recipes”. I add a bit less tahini which is the ingredient that can increase the calories, and I think it still tastes great!
What are the properties of aubergines (eggplant)?
Aubergine is full of fiber, so it is quite filling, and then helpful if you want to lose some weight (because it keeps you full!)
It is full of vitamins and minerals as well, and it has been associated with lowering cholesterol. It has vitamins B1 and B6 and potassium. In addition, it is high in copper, magnesium, and manganese.
A 100g serving of raw aubergine provides:
| Kcal | Protein | Fat | Carbohydrate | Fiber |
| 15 | 0.9 g | 2.2 g | 2.2 g | 2.7 g |
For full information about aubergine nutrition, visit the BBC good food site!
Are you into more eggplant recipes? these are some of my favorites!
Low-calorie queso dip
Aubergine with walnut dukkah
Oven grilled eggplant
If you try this recipe, let us know! leave a comment, rate the recipe or tag a photo on our Instagram or Facebook with the tag #naturalGoodness! Get creative and make it unique, I love to see what you get up to when trying our recipes 🙂
Baba ganoush
Equipment
- Blender or food processor (not 100 % required!)
Ingredients
- 1 Big eggplant (aubergine)
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoon Olive oil
- 1 Medium-sized garlic clove
- 3 tbsp Tahini
- 4 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 20 g Coriander (optional!)
Instructions
- Cook the aubergine choosing any of the following methods
- Putting it in a tray in the oven for about 10 minutes at 150 degrees celsius (Grill mode, not fan mode!). You'll need to flip the aubergine at around 6 minutes
- Pre-heat a pan at medium fire, add the olive oil and then the aubergine for about 12 minutes, you'll need to flip the aubergine around 7 minutes from when you start
- Cook the aubergine directly in the stove (not very recommended tbh!) but some people like doing it this way. It should take about 6 minutes at medium fire. Btw, you should remove the green part of the aubergine!
- Roast the garlic/coriander in a pan for about 4 minutes or if you used the pan method, add it 4 minutes before you finish (it is not necessary to roast it! depends on your preferences)
- You know the aubergine is ready when the aubergine is softened and golden brown.
- Remove all the skin (it should come off easily). This step is optional! But take into account that making it with the skin will result in a purple-ish baba ganoush with a slightly earthy flavour (I like it, some people don't!). Also, notice that the purple skin is full of antioxidants, hence if you have a high-speed blender, I suggest that you blend everything and eat the whole food 🙂
- Add all the ingredients (tahini, aubergine, salt, lemon juice, and coriander) to the blender or a food processor until smooth
- Optionally, you can use a mortar and pestle and mix all the ingredients there
Video
Notes
- The whole point is to “roast” the aubergine, that’s what it gives it that special flavour! If you have other method I am sure it will work just as well
- I add coriander, some other people enjoy it with paprika, basil, romero, parlsey, etc.
- Be careful with tahini, too much of it will make it quite heavy!
- It goes very well with sourdough bread! I enjoy it equally with carrot sticks, raddish, cucumber, tortilla chips, etc.
- It can be part of a side dish, for example, cauli-flower rice!
- It is relatively low in calories as aubergine have very few. It tends to make you feel full due to the aubergine fiber contents