Mutabbal Smoky and Spicy Baba Ganoush

Wow, for today we a spicy variation of a Baba Ganoush or Baba ghanouj, this is a super popular sauce/condiment from the cuisine of the Levant (the whole area between Syria and Israel), especially Lebanon. Traditional baba ganoush is made with roasted eggplants, tahini (sesame seed paste), olive oil, lemon juice and other spices, this version is called Mutabbal, i believe the name is from Armenia and i would say its basically the same as Baba Ganoush just a bit spicier.

To be honest, Mutabbal and Baba Ghanoush are to me the same thing, since they are so similar, by changing this or adding that ingredient you might say its Baba Ghanoush or Mutabbal, i tend to like my Baba Ghanoush more smokey and spicy but that tends to what Mutabbal is, a smokier and spicier version of Baba Ghanoush, so i would say don’t be too caught on on the names, both are roasted eggplant based appetizers.

And im not even getting into the national and regional variations, there are endless, some use different oils, add cheeses, add yogurt, add different spices, different sweeteners (fruits, honey, sugar) or acids, mash the eggplant differently, there is a whole world of Baba Ghanoush and Mutabbal to try 😀 So let’s get into the recipe.

Mutabbal Smoky and Spicy Baba Ganoush

Servings: 6
Time: 40mins
Difficulty: Easy
Rating: ★★★★★
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Mutabbal or Spicy Baba Ganoush is primarily used as a starter, to dip bread or more commonly pita bread, but it can also be used as sidedish or component of a dish or salad.

Ingredients

Eggplant – 1 Large or 2 Medium (+/- 600gr)
Garlic – 3 cloves
Tahini – 3 Tablespoons
Olive Oil – 1 Tablespoon
Smoked Paprika – 1 teaspoon
Cayenne Pepper – 1 teaspoon (Optional)
Lemon – 1/2 Juice
Olive Oil – A few strands
Parsley – A Pinch (Optional)
Sweet Paprika – A pinch
Salt – A pinch

Directions

Start by roasting the eggplants, you can roast them whole (or chop them before putting them in the oven) or as I did cut them in half to caramelize them better and give it a more smokey flavour, put them in an oven at 180ºC for about 20 minutes, but keep an eye on them when they start to shrivel, they’re close to being ready. You can also do it on a grill or over an open flame, and cook it like a bell pepper. When the skin is black (well, even blacker) and brittle, as if burnt, then it’s ready.

Remove from the heat and, while it’s still hot, take out the core/pulp into a blender, remove some of the seeds, you don’t want too many seeds in the sauce, then add the tahini, olive oil, smoked paprika, the juice of half a lemon and a pinch of salt and blend until you have a creamy mixture.

Taste it and if you think it needs seasoning, i like a bit of heat so some cayenne pepper (or extra pepper or anything spicy you enjoy), then pour it into a bowl, make a small well and add a pinch of sweet paprika, olive oil and parsley (I unfortunately didn’t have any that day heheh) and that’s it, bon appetit.

Notes: It’s custom to add a bit of sumac on top in the end, if you have, this is a dried berry that gives a earthy, fruity lemony taste, but if you don’t have that’s ok too.

This recipe for Mutabbal Smoky and Spicy Baba Ganoush was originally created on BakeAfter.com.